
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 

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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



PRICE, 50 CENTS. 




CYCLING 



HEALTH AND PLEASURE 



A COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE USE 
OE THE WHEEL 



LUTHER H. PORTER 

EX-REPRESENTATIVE NEW JERSEY DIVISION, LEAGUE OF 
AMERICAN WHEELMEN 



fr** 




BOSTON 
WHEELMAN COMPANY 

12 Pearl Street 



04/ 



Copyright, 1890, 

BY 

LUTHER H. PORTER. 



THE MERSHON COMPANY PRESS, 
FAHWAY, N. J. 



PREFACE. 



IN 1869 or 1870 the writer had the good fortune 
to become interested in the two-wheeled 
velocipede which was then so popular, and his 
interest soon developed into a desire to possess 
one. That desire he was able to gratify, by pur- 
chasing a second-hand machine, in fair condition, 
for the sum of nine dollars. He had not then 
learned to ride, but began practice at once on a 
narrow board walk in front of his home. When 
in the saddle, his feet were within an inch or two of 
the ground ; but the narrowness of the walk made 
the initial attempts at steering somewhat difficult. 
A few lessons, however, enabled him to overcome 
all difficulties, and to ride wherever good pave- 
ments were found, care being always taken to 
keep off the road. 

For a year or more the machine was used pretty 
constantly, without mishap other than frequent 
breaking of the brake cord ; but considerable 
annoyance was caused by the poor construction of 
the machine. The handle-bar was so badly fitted 
that a good deal of play soon appeared, and the 



iv PREFACE. 

handles would move half an inch before beginning 
to turn the wheel. Another annoyance was 
caused by the wear in the front wheel bearings, 
which became very loose. 

Despite these drawbacks much pleasure was 
got out of the machine. It was also in general 
demand in the neighborhood, and was rented at 
the rate of ten cents an hour, so that in this way 
it paid for itself. 

While the writer was still using it, there began 
to appear the newer form of machine, in which 
the driving-wheel was somewhat increased in size, 
and the rear wheel somewhat reduced, the rider 
also being seated nearer his work. Seeing the 
advantage of these changes, the old machine was 
disposed of, for four dollars, with the intention of 
purchasing another; but, for some reason, this 
was never done, though the recollection is still 
vivid of a visit to the shops of a large carriage 
maker, in whose warehouse a great number of 
the newer pattern were stored away, and offered 
for sale at almost any price. 

The years between 1870 and 1876 were pretty 
much an interregnum in cycling history; but 
soon after 1876 the bicycle began to make its 
appearance here, thanks to the enthusiasm, judg- 
ment, and foresight of a few men. 

In 1880 the writer was located in a large New 
England town, to which a bicycle teacher came 



PREFACE. v 

with a few machines, and opened a school in an 
improvised rink. All the younger men became 
pupils. On first visiting the rink, and being as- 
sisted to mount a wheel, the writer was startled 
at being almost immediately left alone by the 
instructor, with the remark, ."I see you're an old 
velocipede rider"; but was naturally pleased at 
finding himself able to ride. 

When business got a little quiet, the enterpris- 
ing proprietor of the school proposed to raffle off 
a new machine which he said he had ordered, and 
he succeeded in selling nearly one hundred and 
fifty tickets at a dollar apiece. When the time 
for the drawing came, no machine had arrived, so 
he offered to produce one hundred dollars as a 
guarantee. No one, however, called for it, and it 
was not done. The winning ticket was held by 
the owner of the rink, and he announced a new 
raffle; but the machine never came, and a few 
days later the teacher left town hurriedly, leav- 
ing only debts behind him. 

The same year the writer procured a machine, 
and rode a little, but did not settle down to 
■regular riding until 1884. Since then he has rid- 
den constantly, not only for pleasure, but because 
it has proved to him the only means of main- 
taining health. Every other form of exercise, 
including horseback riding for two years, had 
been tried without success; but, after six weeks 



vi PREFACE. 

of regular riding, cycling began to prove its effi- 
cacy, and ere long established a degree of health 
before that wholly unknown. Other members of 
his family have had similar experience, as well as 
very many friends and acquaintances. Under 
such circumstances, it is impossible not to believe 
cycling to be the most beneficial, as it is the most 
exhilarating, of all exercises. 

Acknowledgments are due to the publishers of 
Pratt's "American Bicycler," now out of print, for 
permission to use illustrations and descriptions of 
some of the earlier forms of velocipedes, in the 
chapter on the "Evolution of the Bicycle"; and 
to those who have loaned other illustrations. 



CONTENTS. 



Cycling for Health, . . . . . . i 

Evolution of the Bicycle, .... 23 

Learning, ... . . . . .46 

Riding and Touring, , . .. . 70 

Training, 87 

Correct Pedaling, . . . . . . 102 

Speed and Gearing, . . . . .116 

Certain Characteristic Features, . . 128 

Practical Points, „ 149 



CYCLING. 



CYCLING FOR HEALTH. 



We claim a great utility that daily must increase ; 
We claim from inactivity a sensible release ; 
A constant mental, physical, and moral help we feel, 
That bids us turn enthusiasts, and cry, " God bless the wheel ! " 

— Will Carle ton. 



IT is a fact well known to every one that proper 
food and sufficient sleep are essential to the 
maintenance of health ; but it is by no means so 
generally understood that these alone will not en- 
sure it, unless fortified by the practice of suitable 
exercise. Improper food so quickly affects our 
stomachs, and insufficient sleep makes us so 
drowsy, that the connection between cause and 
effect is very clear in these cases; but the ills 
that result from the lack of sufficient suitable ex- 
ercise are less readily traced to their true source. 
They come so slowly, and get their grasp upon us 
so insidiously, that when we really begin to suffer 
from them we rarely dream of their real causes. 



2 CYCLING. 

Food, sleep, and exercise are so indissolubly 
connected in their relations to the metis sana in 
corpore sano that to separate any one of the trio 
from the others is to seriously impair the efficacy 
of all, and render it impossible for the remaining 
ones to perform perfect service. These facts do 
not apply with full force to those persons — few 
in number — who inherit iron constitutions, and 
who can, with apparent impunity, set the laws of 
nature more or less at defiance, though sooner or 
later they must inevitably feel some effect from 
doing so ; but they do apply to an enormous ma- 
jority of mankind, including many who boast of 
their health because they seem free from disease, 
and others whose apparent vigor rests upon the 
constant use of stimulants. 

Exercise is not merely a desirable adjunct of 
food and sleep, to be used supplementary to them 
if agreeable and convenient ; but it is, in a high 
degree, the very means through which it is pos- 
sible for them to become effective. If one took 
absolutely no exercise at all, it would be hardly 
possible to digest food, or to get refreshing sleep, 
and good health would scarcely be expected. 
With moderate exercise, these conditions would 
change somewhat. It thus follows naturally that 
with sufficient exercise of proper character the 
system would be so toned as to enable the stom- 
ach to do its work perfectly, and secure refreshing 



CYCLING FOR HEALTH. 3 

and vivifying sleep ; and experience and observa- 
tion show this to be perfectly true. 

It is often remarked that enough exercise can 
be obtained in the performance of one's daily 
duties, and this is sometimes true, provided a per- 
son possesses a very'vigorous constitution and is 
engaged in a congenial, active occupation. For 
the majority, however, and particularly for those 
whose occupations are at all sedentary, it is 
wholly untrue. "Work is not exercise," says an 
experienced physician. "This may seem strange, 
but it is true. I tell my patient, T do not care 
how much you run about all day at your business, 
you must take the exercise I prescribe quite inde- 
pendently of your work.' There are perhaps no 
more hard-working men in the world than the 
Scotch ploughmen — wearily plodding all day long 
behind their horses, in wet weather or dry; no 
sooner, however, has the sun 'gane west the loch,' 
and the day's work is done, than, after supper and 
a good wash, those hardy lads assemble in the 
glen, and not only for one, but often three good 
hours, keep up the health-giving games for which 
their nation is so justly celebrated." 

If our daily occupations really afforded true 
exercise, we would not suffer, as we nearly all do, 
from troubles which disappear as soon as we en- 
gage in regular exercise of an agreeable and suita- 
ble kind. "Dyspepsia, no matter how produced," 



4 CYCLING. 

says Dr. Stables, "is the curse of the age in which 
we live. It kills, directly or indirectly, ten times 
more human beings than consumption itself does 
in our country. If this be so, it is surely of the 
utmost importance to each and all of us to so 
regulate our diet, that we may be able to say 
truly we eat to live. Slow digestion is only the 
forerunner of dyspepsia, and this is usually accom- 
panied with constipation, or costiveness, and a dry 
state of the whole mucous membrane of the diges- 
tive canal. A sedentary life and the consequent 
want of sufficient exercise in the open air are two 
of the commonest causes of slow digestion. Cyc- 
ling is, of all kinds of exercises that I know, far 
and away the best suited for the removal of slow 
digestion. Few, alas ! value sufficiently the bless- 
ing of health until it begins to slip away. We 
are not all born with healthful constitutions, but 
even those who are born weakly can do much to 
strengthen and vivify their systems, by adopting 
a plan of judicious and rational living; by steer- 
ing clear of that rock on which so many lives are 
lost — I mean the abuse of medicine; by proper 
attention to cleanliness; by drinking only pure 
water; by breathing, as far as possible, only pure 
air; by avoiding worry as much as they can; by 
being temperate, not only in eating and drinking, 
but in everything; and by taking a proper amount 
of exercise of the kind most suited for the indi- 



CYCLING FOR HEALTH. 5 

viciual health — the best by far at the present day 
being what we term cycling." 

In his recent work, Dr. Lagrange says: "Exer- 
cise produces in the system two absolutely different 
effects; it increases the process of assimilation, 
thanks to which the body gains new tissues, and 
it accelerates the process of dissimilation, which 
leads to the destruction of certain materials. .... 
Exercise introduces more oxygen into the system 
than is actually needed for the combustions; at 
least, direct observation seems to show that, in the 
period which follows vigorous exercise, the blood, 
after being for a short time surcharged with car- 
bonic acid, becomes on the other hand surcharged 
with oxygen. Thus a man taking exercise lays 
up a provision of oxygen. The gas becomes 
as it were stored amongst the anatomical ele- 
ments of which the organism is built up ; it 
is especially bound to the red blood-discs, which 
become redder, and their vivifying power is in- 
creased. This more living blood, if we may 
use the expression, carries to the organs a salu- 
tary stimulus which increases the activity of their 
functions. 

"It has been experimentally proved that all the 
elements of the system undergo a kind of awak- 
ening of their energies under the influence of 
strongly oxygenated blood. If such blood be 
injected we see glands secrete more actively, the 



6 CYCLING. 

contractility of fatigued muscles reappear, and 
even signs of life in the cerebral cells of a decapi- 
tated animal. We understand how, under the 
influence of powerfully oxygenated blood, the 
glands of the alimentary canal can more actively 
secrete the fluids necessary for the elaboration of 
the food ; how the contractile fibres of the intes- 
tine perform their peristaltic movements, which 
are as necessary for digestion, with more energy ; 
how the absorbent vessels draw to themselves, by 
a more powerful endosmotic process, the nutri- 
tive molecules elaborated in the digestive tract. 
Thus the acquisition of a greater quantity of oxy- 
gen leads to a greater intensity of the process of 
assimilation. Exercise produces these salutary 
effects alike in those who assimilate too little, and 
in those who do not dissimilate enough; muscu- 
lar work is a regulator of nutrition as indispensa- 
ble to over-rich as it is to impoverished constitu- 
tions. Hence there is no individual, no living 
being, who is not instinctively impelled to this 
powerful general alterative agent Obser- 
vation of facts shows that athletic exercises, when 
they are not beyond the strength of the subject, 
place him in the most favorable conditions of 
nutrition. Under the guidance of a quiet ner- 
vous system, the functions of repair are per- 
formed with the most perfect regularity, and we 
see that the acquisitions made by the system 



CYCLING FOR HEALTH. 7 

through more perfect assimilation exceed the 
losses brought about by work." 

It appears from the foregoing that vigorous ex- 
ercise in the open air introduces large quantities 
of oxygen into the system ; that the blood is vivi- 
fied thereby ; that assimilation becomes more per- 
fect, and nutrition more complete ; and that all 
organs are stimulated to perform their functions 
perfectly. The increased quantity of oxygen 
which thus vivifies the blood, as the result of 
exercise, is carried to it by means of the respira- 
tion, consequently "respiration is the most im- 
portant of the functions influenced by exercise." 

To quote Dr. Lagrange again: "If we com- 
pare exercises of strength and exercises of speed 
we find in them the common character of render- 
ing respiration more active. But the exercises 
of strength only bring about this result at the 
price of intense muscular fatigue, while exercises 
of speed allow the work to be carried on till 
breathlessness is produced without the muscles 
becoming painful from the work. Speed can sup- 
plement force, and enable certain persons, whose 
muscular development is feeble, to benefit from 
the general effects of violent exercise, without 
needing intense efforts, which they would be un- 
able to perform. 

"Exercises of speecl have the advantage of 
producing the same quantity of work as the 



o CYCLING. 

exercises of strength, and of producing the same 
intensity of respiratory need. Further, they 
increase the activity of the respiratory functions 
with less fatigue of the lungs and heart, owing 
to the absence of effort, which only exceptionally 
occurs in exercises of speed, but which is obliga- 
tory in exercises of strength. Hence a cause for 
preferring exercises of speed. As regards the 
muscular system, an exercise of speed, for an 
equal number of kilogrammeters in a given time, 
will produce less fatigue than a work of strength, 
and will subject the motor apparatus in a less 
degree to the various accidents resulting from 
shocks, and frictions of its constituent parts." 

Of course, if a person desires the mere develop- 
ment of brute strength — the increase in size of 
certain muscles — he will undertake exercises of 
strength under competent instruction ; because 
"powerful and sustained contractions favor the 
nutrition of the muscular fibre," the nutrition of a 
muscle being "more intense in slow contractions, 
because the flow of blood is more regular and 
more prolonged," and in this way the muscles 
increase in size and strength most rapidly. But 
if, on the other hand, the object of exercise is the 
promotion of the sound health of the whole sys- 
tem, rather than special development of one part, 
exercises of speed ensures the best results, besides 
being the most exhilarating and pleasurable. 



CYCLING FOR HEALTH. 9 

If the complex conditions of modern life did 
not keep us so very far from a "state of nature," 
in which all could have more or less active occu- 
pation, it might be possible to get along tolerably 
well with such exercise as came incidentally in 
performing our daily duties; but our constitutions 
and habits have become so modified through 
heredity and environment that our need of the 
most effective exercise is far greater than it would 
be were the conditions of life more simple. Our 
lives are more artificial than natural ; forced liv- 
ing, competition, and excitement have replaced 
simple, primitive conditions ; plain food has given 
way to that which is hard to digest; and every 
constitution has a heavier load to bear, and more 
work to do to maintain health than if living were 
more simple and natural. As a powerful aid to 
every one's constitution in its "struggle for ex- 
istence," the most effective kind of exercise that 
can be discovered is a prime necessity. 

Exercise may be gentle, moderate, or violent. 
A person of sedentary habits, or feeble strength, 
must begin with that which is gentle, and pro- 
ceed by easy stages to that which is moderate, 
and later, if he wishes, go on by degrees to that 
which is violent. Dr. Lagrange defines these 
grades as follows: "When, after an exercise, a 
man of average strength has experienced neither 
fatigue nor breathlessness the exercise may be 



io CYCLIN.G. 

called gentle. When the exercise has caused 
local fatigue without inducing breathlessness, it 
will be moderate. It will be called violent when 
it is accompanied and followed by breathlessness." 

In undertaking an unaccustomed, though gen- 
tle, form of exercise, it may seem to be moderate, 
or even violent, at the start, simply because most 
persons are in far poorer physical condition than 
they imagine themselves to be; but, if they begin 
with short lessons, and proceed by easy stages, 
they will soon become stronger, and the exercise 
will become much easier. Any exercise, says 
Dr. Stables, "to be really beneficial, ought to be 
taken in moderation, and should extend over 
some considerable time. Spurts, and that amount 
of exercise that borders on fatigue, should mostly 
be avoided. Whenever the body becomes tired, 
exertion, instead of being any longer a tonic to 
the body, becomes a positive depressant, and 
results in evil, not only to the muscular but to 
the nervous system as well. 

"A course of exercise — say cycling — should 
be begun and carried on by easy stages, for if one 
does one's exercise as he would do a penance, 
depend upon it it is very far from beneficial. 
Never, therefore, try to do too much. 

"Exercise is a tonic, and therefore benefit is 
not to be expected from a single dose. Its effects 
are gradual, and it must be taken with studied 



CYCLING FOR HEALTH. II 

regularity, day after day, at the same time, and if 
one is in ordinary health the state of the weather 
should not be permitted to balk him. During 
the summer and autumn months a cyclist should 
be like the busy bee and improve each shining 
hour — he will thus lay up for himself a store 
of health that will stand good until spring-time 
comes again. 

"Exercise ought to be taken in clothes which 
are neither too cumbersome nor too heavy ; and, 
if heated, in the intervals of rest be very careful 
you do not catch cold." 

Now, it is not too much to claim, cycling meets 
all the conditions of a perfect exercise in a degree 
approached by nothing else. 

It is necessarily in the open air; and this is of 
great importance, because a prime object of exer- 
cise is to secure and lay up a store of oxygen, 
as has already been shown, which can be fully ac- 
complished only out of doors. It also gives con- 
stant change of scene and thought, avoiding the 
monotony of indoor exercise. New rides, fresh 
sights, varied routes, pleasant companions, and 
absolutely complete change in every respect from 
ordinary occupations, give it very exceptional 
advantages. 

It is an exercise of the class which has been 
shown to be most beneficial. It does not develop 
any one set of muscles excessively, but it acts 



12 CYCLING. 

upon many sets simultaneously, gently, and bene- 
ficially. It calls into simultaneous action more 
muscles than does any other form of exercise ; 
but it calls them into play so gently and pleas- 
antly that after one has gotten over the surprise 
that this unexpected occurrence gives him at the 
start, he is not conscious of the fact, except as he 
feels exhilarated after a ride, and finds every func- 
tion made more vigorous and active. The chest, 
arms, and abdomen, are the first to feel the effects 
and benefits of riding a cycle. As in other exer- 
cises of speed, the chest is strengthened and 
enlarged ; the arms and fingers become firmer in 
action ; and every function of the various organs 
feels a vivifying impulse, and begins at once to act 
with unaccustomed vigor. 

It requires but a short ride to start a sluggish 
circulation into healthy activity, to quiet strained 
nerves, refresh wearied muscles, and clear the 
clouded brain. It is well-nigh impossible to be 
so wearied, physically or mentally, that half an 
hour on a bicycle will not refresh the system like 
food and sleep combined, and impart to it a far 
better and more lasting tone than any stimulant 
can produce. A daily ride of an hour, or half an 
hour, if taken briskly, will cure dyspepsia even of 
the most confirmed sort, and make it possible to 
take any food with comfort. After an evening 
ride, and rub down or bath, the sleep which fol- 



CYCLING FOR HEALTH. 13 

lows is as certain as it is incomparably calm and 
refreshing. The nerves are quieted, the muscles 
rested, the circulation stimulated, and the feeling 
of physical satisfaction which pervades the system 
insures calm and invigorating sleep. All this has 
been proved over and over again in the experi- 
ence of every wheelman. Physicians are begin- 
ning to recognize it, and are recommending the 
wheel to both men and women. For indigestion, 
insomnia, and nervous troubles it is the sovereign 
remedy. 

A characteristic feature of cycling, and one 
which belongs to no other form of exercise in a 
similar degree, is that it is suited to persons differ- 
ing widely in physical condition — in other words, 
the exercise can be made gentle, moderate, or 
violent at will. Of course, the process of learn- 
ing is apt to be a little tiresome ; but, that over, 
the exercise can be regulated at pleasure. In this 
connection, a peculiar advantage is that gentle 
exercise on a cycle produces better and more last- 
ing results than does any other gentle exercise. 
On this account, it is simply unapproached as an 
exercise for women ; it seems to be suited to their 
needs in a most remarkable degree, and to furnish 
them with precisely what they require to build up 
their health and strength. 

When moderate exercise is required, it is 
obtained by taking a longer ride or a faster pace, 



14 CYCLING. 

or the two combined ; and violent exercise can 
be had by still farther lengthening the ride and 
increasing the speed. These simple changes 
adapt cycling to all needs. In its gentlest form, a 
rider will travel four to six miles an hour, or nearly 
as fast as an ordinary horse trots ; in a moderate 
form, he will travel seven or eight miles an hour, 
or faster than nearly all horses trot ; in a brisk 
form, he will ride nine or ten miles an hour; and 
in a violent form, from twelve to fifteen, or even 
more. 

Sometimes, persons who have never ridden a 
cycle, and know nothing of its remarkable physi- 
ological effects, will assert that it is inferior to 
horseback riding, both as an exercise and a 
pleasure. But those who have tested both 
thoroughly know that this is not so. It cannot, 
for a moment, be pretended that horseback riding 
does, or can, offer the advantages, or produce the 
results, already enumerated, which follow with 
certainty the regular use of the wheel, and which 
are testified to by thousands of its users. More- 
over, as to pleasure, the motion of the wheel is 
far and away more exhilarating, as it is more 
smooth, even, and harmonious. However slowly 
one travels, there is always the same agreeable 
motion, far removed from the listless walk of a 
horse, which constitutes a considerable portion of 
horseback riding. The other gaits of a horse are 



CYCLING. FOR HEALTH. 15 

too violent to be long kept up by horse or rider. 
At best, the exercise is variable, and more or less 
violent. How different is the wheel, which is 
uniformly gentle, pleasant and exhilarating, and 
infinitely more certain and beneficial in its effects. 
In further confirmation of the claims already 
made are the following statements from two 
physicians. They are both experienced and prac- 
tical cyclists, themselves, and in their professional 
practice have had large opportunities to observe 
the effect of cycling on all ages and conditions as 
well as on both sexes. Dr. T. N. Gray writes : 

" How and why does cycling do so much for the system ? 
I have often answered this, or similar questions, in a general 
way ; but I think I can give an answer from a physiological 
standpoint, which will satisfy the most captious of the value 
of cycling as a health preserver and renewer. 

" Start with the accepted fact that exercise out of doors is 
beneficial to the general system. No argument is needed to 
establish this, as a comparison of the general health of the 
outdoor and indoor worker is invariably in favor of the out- 
door worker. The causes which work against the general 
health of the indoor worker are many, but they can be 
grouped under three heads : lack of fresh air ; mental work, 
without a corresponding amount of physical work ; and rou- 
tine work. 

" Two, at least, of these three general causes are always at 
the bottom of the laek of full health of the indoor worker. 
The result may be apparent in the muscular system, the 
organic system, or the nervous system, and consists of 
a loss of balance between the three systems. This loss 



1 6 CYCLING. 

of balance is rarely seen in the outdoor worker, and when 
seen is the result of excessive physical exercise. It is the 
natural conclusion that the cause which maintains the health 
of one class (exercise, or work, in the fresh air) can be used to 
restore the lost health in the other class, by building up the 
muscular system ; by relieving the organic system, through 
a hastened circulation, and excretion through skin and 
bowels, and kidneys and lungs ; and by resting the nervous 
system with a varied and exhilarating exercise. So is the 
' how ' answered, for cycling is only outdoor work or exer- 
cise. 

"But 'why' cycling particularly, you may ask. Simply 
because, to my mind, cycling, as an exercise of use to the 
physician in treating his patients, both in the quality and 
quantity it gives, combines physical exercise, and mental 
and nervous exercise, as does no other form of outdoor 
exercise, and this without a single injurious quality. The 
rider of a wheel takes exercise in the most even, steady way 
I know of, and never does he injure his general system when 
riding (scorching is not riding). The peculiar effect of 
cycling upon the nervous system cannot be put into words. 
The effect on the patient is plainly evident to the physician, 
and appreciated by the patient. It comes from an exhilara- 
tion which is peculiar to the wheel. Every rider has felt it. 
He may not appreciate it now, because he is accustomed to 
it ; but let him stop his riding, and the result is soon appar- 
ent in sluggish memory, or annoying organs, or easily tired 
limbs — in short, a loss of balance. I have had results from 
it in practice that I have never had from any other form of 
exercise, and never have I had it fail in doing good ; and, 
without decrying other forms of exercise, it, I repeat, com- 
bines muscular exercise with mental and nervous exhilaration 
as does no other." 



CYCLING FOR HEALTH. 17 

The other letter referred to is from Dr. F. A. 
Kinch, Jr. He says: 

" Whatever I may have written in the cause of cycling I 
fully emphasize by this writing. When indulged in in mod- 
eration, it is invariably for the good of the participants. I do 
not for a moment consider any tests of strength or speed, for 
those who are not trained for such work have no energy to 
spend in that way. 

" As to the ' how ' and ' why ' it is for so much good ! 
Any exercise that brings in play the greatest number of 
muscles, and exercises them evenly, is the best to take. This 
is found in cycling ; no one muscle, or set of muscles, is 
overtaxed in riding. Also, it takes the cycler out of doors, 
where fresh air and plenty of it can be breathed ; it gives 
him or her a change of scene ; the change of landscape adds 
pleasure to a ride, and before the rider knows it he is wheel- 
ing along enjoying the country, while his muscles are getting 
the benefit of the ride. That the rider loves the sport I con- 
sider a very great aid to its success, for no form of exercise 
will be beneficial if it is not thoroughly enjoyed ; you can 
expect the greatest results from that sport which the player 
or rider enjoys most. 

" Professional experience has shown a number of cases 
under our own care that have been benefited by cycling. 
Weakly boys and girls grow strong while riding a wheel. A 
remarkable case may be worthy of notice, A young man, 
about eighteen, was taken sick with diphtheria ; he had pre- 
viously ridden a wheel ; he was very ill, and when recovered 
some thought he would have heart disease. He was very care- 
fully watched of course. The question came up, Should he 
ride his bicycle ? He was an intimate friend of mine, though 
not my patient. He asked me what I thought, and I told 
him to take a short ride with me. He did well, and contin- 



1 8 CYCLING. 

ued riding carefully, and a little more each time, until he 
really rode back to health and strength. Now he is a strong, 
well man, and thanks the wheel for the sound physique it 
gave him. This is only one case, but there are more just like 
this one. 

" In conclusion I would say ride a cycle ; ride in modera- 
tion ; enjoy the wheel ; and all who do so will enjoy better 
health and be happier ; the cares of life will be easier borne, 
and your life will be lengthened." 

The peculiar and exceptional advantages which 
cycling offers as an exercise for women are not 
matters of theory with the writer, as he has had 
in his own family a very striking illustration of its 
remarkable effects. In further confirmation, how- 
ever, of his statements, is the following letter from 
the pen of " Psyche," a well-known contributor to 
wheel papers. It was written in response to the 
query, '.' What does cycling do for women ? " 

" Is wheeling a desirable thing for women ? Yes, emphati- 
cally. This is rather an uncompromising position to assume ; 
but an ordinary, every-day experience makes me feel that on 
this question there are not two sides, or, if there is a side 
other than the affirmative, it is so small as hardly to be no- 
ticeable. 

" For three years I have been a practical wheelwoman ; 
first, atricyclist, and then, when the bicycle came for women, 
an ardent and enthusiastic bicyclist. 

" In my own family one person has been restored from a 
state of semi-invalidism to normal health, and two others 
(one of them myself) have been kept in such a state of health 
ns few American girls can boast of, and this I confidently 



CYCLING FOR HEALTH. 1 9 

believe to be due entirely to the fact that we are a family of 
wheelwomen. 

"A friend of ours, who was afflicted by 'nerves/ 
fainted on any reasonable or unreasonable opportunity, wept 
quarts in the month, and wished she was dead more or less 
all the time, was inveigled by us to try our prescription. We 
told her to get the sanction of her physician, lest we should 
perhaps do her some harm, for we all regarded her as sus- 
pended on the edge of the tomb, and did not want to meddle 
if there was any chance of doing harm rather than good. Her 
physician, like a sensible man, gave her his blessing, and told 
us to begin. 

" Well, we did, and I wish I could illustrate this letter with 
a picture of her before and after. That was nearly a year 
ago, and though she is not as strong as 1 (for I yield that 
palm to none), she is far beyond the average girl. For ex- 
ample, she rode thirty miles, actually in the saddle for that 
distance, on a dirt road with me yesterday, and came home 
a little tired ; but this morning woke ' as fresh as a daisy,' 
and ready for more. She cries yet sometimes (all girls do) ; 
but her nerves give her no more trouble ; she has grown fif- 
teen pounds heavier ; is bright and jolly, and as enthusiastic 
a wheel missionary as any one ever was or will be. 

" A girl I know is a teacher, and a very hard worker. She 
got completely run down last year and, hearing of somebody 
who had been benefited by wheeling, thought it worth the 
trial. She says that toward the end of the time before she 
began to ride, she pitied her scholars, for she simply couldn't 
control herself — she was wild. 

" She is another shining example of what a wheel can do, 
for she finds herself easily able to keep up with her work, 
is in thorough sympathy with her scholars, and on Saturdays 
goes off escorted by some of her boys on their wheels, and 
has no end of a good time. 



20 CYCLING. 

"Just one more example — one I have already spoken of in 
the Wheel, and one which was more pointedly a bicycle cure 
than anything I ever heard of. 

" This girl I know well. She is a very clever musician ; 
very ambitious and untiring in her work. Besides practicing 
anywhere from six hours a day up, she filled up the chinks 
with lessons, and played at a concert or two. After three or 
four months of this she began to suffer from sleeplessness, 
and it got to such a pass that the doctor stopped her music, 
shut up the piano, and forbade any hearing of music. This 
did no good. Then they sent her to the mountains ; this 
failed. The doctor prescribed a bicycle, but her mother 
would not consent, thinking something ought to be found less 
objectionable and just as powerful. They went on trying, 
and the poor girl went on suffering. This lasted for two 
months and over. She told me that she could think of no 
torture she would not go through to be able to fall asleep as 
she used to do ; but she got no rest except through the use of 
opiates. The doctor at last told her mother that he really 
thought the wheel so much worth trying that if she refused her 
permission he would throw up the case ; so she succumbed, 
and the girl took a lesson. It was her last hope, she said, 
and if there was anything in it she proposed to find out, and 
waste no time learning to ride ; so, for that whole enduring 
day, she toiled away at the school, hot, tired, triumphant, 
and despairing by turns, and only went home when the 
teacher rebelled. Then she went, used up, and lay down to 
rest, not to sleep, she didn't hope for that ; but in ten min- 
utes was 'fast as a church,' while her mother almost wept 
with delight, and the whole family stood round to keep things 
quiet. 

" Of course after this her mother had nothing to say 
that was not in favor of her riding, and she rides nil the 
time. 



CYCLING FOR HEALTH. 21 

" The last time I saw her I asked her if the wheel still 
stood by her, and she said she finds that if she does not ride 
for a week or so, she does not sleep well ; but while she rides 
regularly no one sleeps sounder or better than she. 

" There are three people, personal friends of mine, who 
have been inestimably benefited, and I know of lots of girls 
who say that they don't know what it is to feel ill any more, 
and give the credit all to their wheels. If this is my experi- 
ence, and only in a narrow circle of acquaintances, just mul- 
tiply it by others and see what a tremendous sum total there 
is in favor of wheeling for women. 

" Of course I don't mean that if you don't ride a wheel you 
will die or grow up an invalid. If you are lucky enough to 
have plenty of leisure, and have sense to make good use of 
it, you can be probably as strong and well as a wheelwoman ; 
but you will have to devote a good deal of time to it. 
Wheeling calls the muscles into play more thoroughly and 
more gently than any other one form of exercise. It is far 
ahead of gymnasium work, because it is bound to be taken in 
the open air ; far ahead of riding, because it brings more mus- 
cles into gentle action ; and better than tennis, because not 
so violent. 

" Look at the girls who wheel, and see if they don't, as 
a class, look happier and healthier than any other class you 
know of. 

" As for fun, nobody knows who has not tried it what the 
delights of a country run are. Half a dozen wheels spinning 
along, the riders all overflowing with laughter and good 
humor, flying down hills, more like a bird in feeling than any- 
thing else ; climbing stiffish hills and feeling your muscles 
' swellin' wisibly.' Oh, there is nothing like it ! Try it and 
see. 

" I want to be a missionary, and go about making these 
poor girls, who don't know what a good thing life is, wake 



22 CYCLING. 

up and try what thoroughly good health and vigorous life 
means just once, and see if they don't crown the wheel with 
glory. 

" Men can't conceive what a thing this wheeling is to us 
poor beskirted women. How can a woman be strong and 
well without exercise ? How can she get it when it's ' un- 
ladylike ' to run, and is (not so much nowadays) rather un- 
womanly to be able to take long walks. 

" Our grandfathers' ideas that a woman could get all the 
exercise she wants about the house are false, false, false. 

" Take making beds, for instance ; is not that violent exer- 
cise enough for any one ? If you want some exercise, arrange 
your own room. 

" Making a bed does not in the least hurt me now, but be- 
fore I rode, it did ; it made my back ache and my knees 
tremble, and I decided that I did not need any of that kind 
of exercise. Now my muscles are a little stronger I can do 
it without evil effects. 

" Sweeping used to be held in high repute also. Any more 
one-sided thing couldn't be imagined. It is simply injurious, 
unless you are strong, and can stand the exertion, and be 
well and strong in spite of it. 

" I don't want anyone to think I am preaching against a 
woman doing all that is necessary to keep her house as it 
should be, and think she ought to be proud to be able to 
make her own beds, and sweep her own house, if her hus- 
band's position is such (or her own) that this comes in her 
line of duty ; but I do say again and again, it is every 
woman's duty to be as well and strong as she can be, and 
in order that she may be able to do her duty easily and well 
she must be strong and vigorously well. To be this, she 
must have exercise; and the easiest, best, and most surely 
successful way to do this is to ride a bicycle and ride it 
regularly." 



EVOLUTION OF THE BICYCLE. 



ABOUT the earliest form of two-wheeled veloci- 
pede of which we have any precise knowledge 
seems to be the curious affair used by one Baron 
von Drais, about 1816, and patented in France. 
It is described by Mr. Pratt as consisting, "of two 
wheels, one before the other, connected by a bar 
or perch over them, the forward wheel axled in a 
fork swiveled to the fore end of the perch, and 
bearing a cross-bar or handles above the latter to 
guide it by. The rider sat astride the perch, pro- 
pelled the contrivance on level or up grade by 
thrusting his feet on the ground, and directed it 
by means of the handles, by turning the direction 
of the forewheel ; while on a descending grade he 
lifted his feet from the ground and let it run." It 
was evidently a clumsy, heavy contrivance, which 
one would hardly believe could be propelled 
on a poor surface ; but on down grades it might 
have acquired a good pace, and had no brake by 
which to regulate its speed. The wheels were of 
small diameter, and probably of equal size. 

This machine, known as the "Draisine," appears 
23 



24 CYCLING. 

to have been introduced into England, where it 
was somewhat improved in form and general de- 
sign, and patented in 1818, by one Johnson, under 
the name of "pedestrian curricle." This im- 
proved form is shown in the cut. It seems to have 
been a little less cumbersome than its predecessor, 
and to have had a slightly shorter wheel base, the 
rider being placed directly between the wheels, 
while the steering was somewhat changed. The 
method of propulsion was the same. 




Pedestrian Curricle— 1818. 



This machine aroused considerable interest, but 
of course was not very practical, and soon came 
in for abundant ridicule. It was brought to this 



EVOLUTION OF THE BICYCLE. 25 

country, where it also excited enthusiasm for a 
time. 

In 1 82 1 Gompertz produced his "hobby-horse," 
which had a new feature in the way of additional 
means of propulsion. The rider, as before, could 
propel it by resting partly on the saddle and 
striding along on the ground-; but he was now pro- 
vided with a handle over the front wheel which 




Hobby-Horse — 182 r. 
was connected with a segment rack, gearing in a 
pinion on the front wheel, which could thus be 
driven by the hands. The machine was similar 
in outline to the curricle, as will be seen from the 
cut, but was improved by the addition of this new 
means for driving. 



26 CYCLING. 

For a long time it was supposed that no im- 
provements were made in the velocipede during 
the next forty years ; but it now appears that a 
Scotchman, named Dalzell, invented and rode a 
rear-driving, wooden, safety bicycle about 1845. 
The Bicycling News described it as ''constructed 
chiefly of wood, which, though worm-eaten, is still 
wonderfully strong, especially in the wheels, these 
seeming to have stood the ravages of time and 
rough usage much better than the framework. 
The rear wheel — the driver — is of wood, shod 
with iron, about forty inches in diameter, and has 
twelve spokes, each about an inch in diameter. 
The front wheel is of similar construction, but 
only of about thirty inches in diameter. From the 
front wheel hub, the fork — straight, and with a 
rake which some of our modern makers could 
copy with profit — passes up, and is joined to- 
gether, through the forepart of the wooden frame- 
work. A pair of handles are then attached and 
bent backward into a V-shape to suit the rider, 
who sits about two feet behind the front wheel 
hub. These were commonly termed the 'reins.' 
The main frame is somewhat like that which is 
now termed the 'dip' pattern, the design of which 
is applied in an extended form to ladies' safeties. 

"A wooden mud-guard rises from this frame, 
covering about one-fourth of the circumference of 
the hind wheel ; from this to the back forks, 



EVOLUTION OF THE BICYCLE. 



27 



which are horizontal, and of wood, vertical flat 
stays run down, forming a dress-guard after the 
manner of those on the latest cycling develop- 
ment — the ladies' safety. The action thus ob- 
tained is not rotary, being a downward and for- 
ward thrust with return, the feet describing a 
small segment of a circle. That the gearing, which 
constitutes the chief wonder to the critical and 




Rear Driver — 1845. 

historical reader, was actually on the machine 
while ridden by Mr. Dalzcll is proved by the re- 
ceipted accounts of the blacksmith, John Leslie, 
who made all the iron-work used in its construc- 
tion." 

With a machine containing such points as this 
seems to have had, it might be supposed that 
improvements would have been made, and the 



28 CYCLING. 

safety bicycle had a much earlier development; 
but there is an old saying that it is always the 
unexpected that happens, and so it proved, for 
twenty years more elapsed before another im- 
portant step was taken. 

"In the mean time," says Pratt, "the construc- 
tion of carriages generally, and of velocipedes, 
voitures de malades, and children's carriages in 
particular, was carried to a good degree of perfec- 
tion. On some of them the double cranked axle 
was used, with treadles for foot propulsion ; the 
form began to narrow down to the three-wheeled 
construction ; the single front guiding-wheel was 
also made a driving-wheel, sometimes with a 
single crank worked by the hands through a pit- 
man or connecting-rod, and some of them were 
made for the driver to sit over and astride the 
wheel, propel it with his feet on the cranks, and 
guide it with a cross-bar or handles fixed to the 
fork in which the wheel had its bearings, and to 
which the perch or saddle-bar was pivoted." 

In 1865 a Frenchman secured a patent for a 
five-wheeled velocipede, each wheel "having an 
independent axle, the ends of which are provided 
with foot-cranks bearing loose pedals ; each wheel 
to be mounted and driven by its own rider, whose 
seat is over the wheel ; and the front wheel is also 
the guide-wheel, so that the carriage can be ridden 
and directed by one rider, or may carry four more, 



EVOLUTION OF THE BICYCLE. 29 

each helping to propel in the same way, who are 
mounted two abreast behind the one who guides." 
There are here certainly some of the charac- 
teristic features of the then fast approaching 
"boneshaker," and of its perfected successor, the 
bicycle. It was, in fact, also in 1865 that Lalle- 
ment, a French mechanic, built the first two- 
wheeled velocipede, the front wheel, propelled by 




Lallement's Velocipede — 1866. 

foot-cranks, being both driver and steerer. In 
1866, Lallement came to this country, and soon 
built another velocipede here. He was joined by 
an American, named Carrol, and they secured a 
patent the same year. Their machine, as here 
represented, "consisted of two wooden wheels, 
with iron tires, of nearly equal size, one before 
the other, surmounted by a wooden perch, from 



3° CYCLING. 

which projected downwards near its rear end two 
arms on either side the rear wheel, each pair of 
arms meeting at the end of the hub, and forming 
a bearing for the end of the axle : one similar 
wooden bar projected from the fore end of the 
perch on either side the forward wheel, furnishing 
bearings for its axle, and arranged with a pivot in 
the perch near the upper end so that, by means 
of a hand-bar above, the fore wheel could be 
turned in either direction. The perch was curved 
downward in the middle part ; and from a joint 
near the front arms (or fork), backward to a joint 
over the rear wheel, extended a straight steel 
spring, bearing a saddle for the rider about mid- 
way and over the space between the two wheels. 
From this position he could place his feet upon 
the balanced pedals on the cranks connected with 
the front axle, the latter being a fixed one in the 
wheel; and thus seated, he started the machine 
in motion with his feet on the ground as always 
in the Draisine [and curricle] and then put them 
on the pedals, and propelled it." 

In 1866, also, an Englishman, Gilman by name, 
invented a somewhat similar machine, his having 
the rear wheel, however, for driver. In the three 
following years improvements continued to be 
made in England and France, while nothing seems 
to have been done here. But by 1869 so much 
interest had been excited abroad that it was soon 



EVOLUTION OF THE BICYCLE. 3* 

revived here, ''this time with a feverish rapidity 
and infection, as has been intimated. Rinks, 
halls, and riding-schools were opened in rapid and 
multiplied succession in all the principal and 
many of the smaller cities, and the 'velocipede' 
interest became a craze. Manufacturers in a score 
of towns had all they could do to supply the de- 
mand for them. Merchants, professional men, 
mechanics, college students, and even ladies, 




American Velocipede — 1869. 

hurried to its adoption as a pastime and a means 
of exercise, and also as a hoped for instrument of 
practical locomotion. In 1 869 the furore was at its 
height. A book was written about it, and a jour- 
nal was issued devoted exclusively to the new 
interest ; and one of the writers on the subject in 
that year had confidence like this : 'The machines 
now in use are so radically different from those of 
fifty years ago, so perfect in propelling power, so 



32 CYCLING. 

easy to ride, so swift of motion, so useful as a 
means of conveyance, that it seems impossible for 
history to repeat itself with regard to the present 
mania.' " Above is the machine on which this 
praise was lavished. 

This machine had wheels of about equal size, 
from thirty-six to forty inches in diameter ; was 
mainly of wood, with a little iron work; the 
wheels were iron shod ; the rider sat midway be- 
tween them ; and a brake, operating on the rear 
wheel, was connected with the handle-bar by 
means of a light chain, or more usually a cord. 
The brake was applied by revolving the handle- 
bar forward, and so winding up the cord on it. 
Looking back now on this machine, the interest 
aroused seems almost ludicrous, while the rapid 
subsidence of it appears most natural. The rid- 
er's position on it made the action of pedaling 
an awkward, ineffective, forward thrust ; the ma- 
chine itself was heavy and clumsy; and it was 
really only practicable on paved walks. 

Before the craze had passed away, some manu- 
facturers of these machines began to build a 
slightly different pattern, probably in imitation of 
foreign improvements, having the front wheel 
larger in diameter, and the rear wheel smaller than 
before ; but the change came too late to hold pub- 
lic interest here, and the two-wheeled velocipede 
disappeared. 



EVOLUTION OF THE BICYCLE. 



33 



Meanwhile, in England, says Wilson, "cycling 
as a recreation made considerable headway ; and 
first with iron tires, next with gutta-percha nailed 
on to the wooden felloes, and lastly with india- 




Bjcycle of 1876. 
rubber tires in V-shaped iron felloes, the bicycle 
was used as a means of touring in the country." 
The "boneshaker" thus continued in use in vari- 
ous forms until about 1874, when the transition to 
the true bicycle type seems to have been pretty 



34 CYCLING. 

well effected. Two years later the type was well 
established, and one of the pioneers in the trade 
showed their perfect wheel with the above cut. 
This machine was entirely of metal, save the 
saddle-block, brake-cord, and tires. It possessed 
ample foot-rests, and a rear brake. The rake, 
position of saddle, and relative size of wheels, 




Bicycle of 1890. 

suggest something of the characteristic features of 
the so-called "rational" ordinary of to-day. 

The bicycle of 1876 was the pioneer of a now 
established type. Details of construction in it 
and its successors are not within the province of 
this sketch, which aims merely to outline the 
evolution of the cycle by presenting the various 
types produced from time to time. In comple- 



Evolution of the bicycle. 35 

tion of this evolution appears the ordinary bicycle 
of to-day. 

Turning now to the safety bicycle, we find that 
about 1876, while the type of the ordinary was 
being first firmly established, attempts were also 
being made to produce a machine of a different 
type. The following account of these experi- 
ments is from the Cyclist. 

" We have of late been asked upon several occasions 
who was the inventor of the safety bicycle as known at the 
present day, that is, the rear driver or ' Rover ' pattern 
machine. Of course, offhand, the question is easily an- 
swered by naming J. K. Starley, the maker of the original 
' Rover,' who first made a practical machine of it ; but 
machines of the general type were known, and had been 
tried — though with no commercial success — upon several 
previous occasions, and chiefly by the same inventor. So 
far as we can ascertain the first bicycle embodying any of 
the principles of the rear driver was a machine which was 
invented by H. J. Lawson of Brighton, in, we believe, 1876, 
or 1877, and subsequently manufactured and placed on the 
market by Messrs. Singer & Co., under the name of the 
' Safety ' bicycle. This machine was driven by the back 
wheel, and steered by a small front one, by means of cross- 
handles and vertical fork, but, while the driving-wheel was 
large, it was driven direct by means of levers and the prin- 
ciple of gearing-up was not introduced. Its necessarily 
cumbersome nature doubtless had much to do with its non- 
success, for we believe but few were made, and in a season 
or two its life was ended. The same inventor had another 
turn at the safety at a later date, when he was acting as 
manager for the Rudge Company soon after the transfer- 



36 



ence of that business from Wolverhampton to Coventry. 
This was, if we remember rightly, in 1879 or early in 1880, 
and the machine then produced was far more nearly like the 
rear driver of the present day than anything which had gone 
before it, or, indeed — until the introduction of the ' Rover ' — 
came after it. The driving by a chain and cog-wheels was 
introduced, and gearing-up was adopted, the driving-wheel 
being small, and the crank-axle carried in a bracket sus- 
pended from the backbone much in the same way as is done 




Facile Safety — About i 



in the cross-frame mounts of to-day. The steering-wheel 
was large, much larger, indeed, than the driver, the propor- 
tions very nearly approaching those which some at the pres- 
ent day are terming ' rational,' and the steering was effected 
by an upright fork connected with a secondary steering post 
and handle-bar with connecting rods or links. This, prob- 
ably, and the somewhat ungainly appearance of the machine, 
accounted for its early disappearance. Locally it was known 
as the 'Crocodile,' and came in for a considerable amount 



EVOLUTION OF THE BICYCLE. 37 

of derision. Some four or five years later, the ' Facile ' safety- 
having to a certain extent popularized the small wheel, or, 
rather, proved its capabilities, Messrs. Hillman, Herbert & 
Cooper introduced the ' Kangaroo,' which, as is now a mat- 
ter of history, became for a time quite the rage, nearly every 
maker supplying a pattern more or less in imitation of it. 
The popularity of this machine had the effect of paving the 
way for the ' Rover 'by reconciling public opinion to the use 




Kangaroo Safety — 1883. 

of the small wheel, and about this time, or a little before, 
Messrs. Starley & Sutton introduced a tricycle in which the 
rider was placed behind his driving axle, and his seat placed 
rather in front of than behind the crank-axle, as was done 
in the majority of other tricycles. The success of this 
machine as a hill-climber induced the inventor — J. K. Star- 
ley — to work out the principle as applied to a bicycle, and 
the result was a machine with nearly equal wheels, driven 



3^ CYCLING. 

from the back as now, but steered like Lawson's original 
'Bicyciette' or 'Crocodile,' with a vertical fork, secondary 
handles, and connecting" links, This machine went easily 
enough, but its steering was neither firm nor direct, and 
the long frame and connecting bars gave it a heavy and 
complicated appearance, which militated against its com- 
mercial success, and, although the inventor stuck to it with 




Original Rover Safety— 1883-84. 

the firm conviction that its principle was right, it would 
doubtless have fallen into obscurity but for the altera- 
tion in the steering method which was shortly after- 
ward made. And here we are introduced once again 
to the inventor Lawson, who about the same time pro- 
duced at the works of the National Cycle Company, of 
which he was then manager, a machine, the ostensible object 



EVOLUTION OF THE BICYCLE. 39 

of which was to permit of the use of the bicycle by a lady. 
This was a rear driver, driven by a chain. The frame was 
constructed of a single tube bent into a large curve, carrying 
the saddle at one end, the driving-wheel bearings in the 
middle, the crank bearings lower down, and terminating in 
the connection with the steering-wheel. In this machine a 
very small steering-wheel was used, and the steering was 
effected by a sloping fork ancl the cross handles, the steering 
being direct as now, and the forks, owing to the small size 
of the steerer, almost vertical. This machine was likewise 
doomed to commercial failure. Its frame was insufficiently 
rigid, and the small size of the steering-wheel prevented its 
getting a fair trial. We rode both this and Starley's original 
' Rover ' at the time, and a member of our staff— Mr. Golder — 
used Lawson's machine a good deal for ' pottering about ' 
upon, with the result that he became fairly au fait with it, 
and was able to manage it pretty well. In a conversation ■ 
with Mr. Starley the question of wheel principles was entered 
into, and upon our suggesting the alteration of the ' Rover ' 
to direct steering, he admitted he had not tried it, as he was 
under the impression that the vertical fork was necessary to 
secure proper steering. We referred to the Lawson machine 
as a proof that with practice a slightly sloping fork could be 
manipulated successfully, and referred him to Mr. Golder 
for a proof of its practicability. The result of that conver- 
sation was that Mr. Starley built a machine as a trial, in 
which he substituted the sloping direct fork for the arm and 
link arrangement as hitherto adopted, retaining the large 
steering-wheel and other structural features of the original 
* Rover,' and placed it at Mr. Golder's disposal to see if he 
could ride it. For the first few days it took him all his time 
to keep upright upon it, but its intricacies being once mas- 
tered the capabilities of the new machine were quickly proved 
in his runs with the club, for whereas several members hacl 



4o 



CYCLING. 



been able to hold when he was riding his ordinary, with the 
new mount he was able to show the whole club his back 
wheel, especially up-hill. This practical proof of the value of 
the machine decided Messrs. Starley & Sutton to go ahead, 
and within a month or two the example of Messrs. Hillman, 
Herbert & Cooper, who had introduced the ' Kangaroo ' 
with a big road race, was followed, and a hundred miles con- 
test was arranged. Upon that test practically hung the 
future of the machine. Had the times accomplished fallen 




Rover-Pattern Safety — 1890. 



short of those made in the ' Kangaroo ' ride of the previous 
year there is little doubt but that it would have taken much 
longer to make its way in public opinion than it did. But, 
as the result showed, the ' Kangaroo ' times were beaten con- 
siderably by George Smith, the same rider who had won the 
' Kangaroo ' ride, whilst Mr. Golder himself lowered the fifty 
miles road record, which had previously stood for many years, 
by nearly a quarter of an hour. Taking due advantage of 
this success, the firm energetically placed the machine upon 
the market, and from that day the success of the ' Rover ' was 



EVOLUTION OF THE BICYCLE. 4* 

assured. The next two seasons saw a rapid decline in the 
Kangaroo-type mounts, and a steady, yet certain, replace- 
ment of it in the makers' pattern books by machines on 
' Rover ' lines. Such, then, is the history of the safety of the 
present day, a history which, although doubtless familiar 
enough to our older readers, will be quite new to that vast 
army of new riders who have sprung into existence with the 
popularizing of the rear driving machine." 

In this connection should be mentioned two 
American safeties of a type entirely different from 




American Star. 

the low, equal-wheeled, chain-driven, rear-driver. 
The older one, the "Star," has been in the market 
for some years. The earlier patterns had a large 
driving-wheel, the sizes being three inches apart, 
but the latest pattern has only a thirty-nine inch. 
It is a rear driver, propelled by levers. The com- 
pany now make also a safety on the general 
Rover-pattern lines, but propelled by levers. 



4 2 CYCLING. 

The other machine was put on the market in 
1889, and is called the "Eagle." To a certain ex- 
tent it resembles the "Star," more particularly the 
older pattern, as it is a rear-driver with a small 



The Eagle. 
front steering-wheel ; but it is driven direct by 
cranks. 

Looking, finally, for a moment, at the tandem, 
it appears that as each type of bicycle approached 
perfection, efforts were made to develop from it 
a practical double machine. With the tricycle it 
had been easy enough to produce a double mount, 
by simply widening the machine to place two 
seats, side by side, as on the sociable ; or by 
lengthening the frame, to place one seat before 
the other ? as on the tandem. But the bicycle 



EVOLUTION OF THE BICYCLE. 43 

presented a far more difficult problem. It was 
necessary to place one rider before the other, and 
that necessitated a long frame, and made both 
the balance and steering more difficult than on 
the single machine. 

The form of tandem bicycle developed from the 
ordinary was a somewhat curious mount and a 
not very practicable road machine. As shown in 



Rucker Tandem Bicycle. 
the illustration, the backbones and rear wheels of 
two ordinaries were removed, and their driving 
wheels were then connected by a bar. Both 
riders drove ; but they steered independently, and 
the rear rider, in addition to preserving his own 
balance, was obliged to track with the leader. 
This was not always an easy task, and side falls 
could easily occur. In fact, there were so few 
advantages in this form of tandem, that it never 



44 CYCLING. 

became very popular, and has long since disap- 
peared. 

The success of the "Kangaroo" type, and its 
rapid rise into popular favor, caused attention to 
be turned to the possible development of a tan- 
dem from it, and experiments were made with 



Wilson's Safety Tandem. 

this in view. They were not successful, however, 
and soon ceased, as the "Rover" type quickly 
began to crowd the "Kangaroo" from the field. 

With the assured success of the "Rover," the 
tandem idea once more appeared. The simplest 
and most direct method of carrying it out seemed 



EVOLUTION OF THE BICYCLE. 45 

to be Wilson's plan of placing the second seat 
immediately in front of the handle-bar, carrying 
curved handles around for the front rider and 
lengthening the front forks to carry chain-wheels 
and chain in "Kangaroo" style. But this plan 
did not prove successful in operation, for, as Mr. 
Wilson himself says, "owing to the great rake of 
the front fork, the front rider's weight tends to 
turn the steering-wheel violently out of a straight 




Tandem Safety Bicycle — 1890. 
line, and the rear rider is therefore compelled to 
use tremendous arm force in steering." 

But greater experience with the "Rover" 
safety, and general improvement in its steering 
qualities, soon led to the design of a tandem in 
which the Rover-type frame was simply length- 
ened, and both riders were seated between the 
wheels. This type of tandem is not difficult to 
steer; it is remarkably easy running; is a prac- 
tical and delightful road wheel and, when strongly 
built and braced to meet the heavy strains to 
which it is subjected, is a most successful mount. 



LEARNING. 



THE TRICYCLE. — SAFETY BICYCLE. — ORDINARY 
BICYCLE. 

THE TRICYCLE.— It is quite possible for 
any person to ride a tricycle without having 
received instructions and without practice, if by 
"riding" we simply mean that any person not 
maimed can impart motion to a machine, and 
propel it after a fashion. This possibility has sug- 
gested to the lay mind the notion that "anybody 
can ride a tricycle" — an idea which has deprived 
cycling of many would-be tricyclists. This mis- 
fortune (both to cycling and to the disgusted nov- 
ice) is usually caused by the foolish practice of 
overdoing in the first rides taken. The mere fact 
that the novice can, with such comparative ease, 
obtain so delightful a motion stimulates him to 
prolong his trip, and he is tempted by the infre- 
quency of the pleasure to further lengthen it. 
The result very often is that the novice, especially 
if a woman, gets overtired, is sore and stiff after- 
ward, and gives it up after a trial or two with the 
declaration that cycling is injurious. Some per- 
4 6 



LEARNING. 47 

sons continue their attempts and finally do learn 
to ride; but, if every novice began under proper 
instructions, and followed competent advice, the 
number of those who failed to persist in their 
efforts would be amazingly small. 

In order to learn to ride a tricycle, the beginner 
should secure the aid of a good tricyclist, or 
should study the best directions at his command. 
It is unwise to begin without any instruction, for 
it is a great waste of strength on the part of the 
rider, and an unnecessary strain on the wheel. 

Unless already an athlete, do not take time be- 
fore breakfast for practice. It is the most injuri- 
ous time to perform any work. Many persons 
have taken that early and quiet hour and have been 
completely discouraged by the result. It is only 
natural that they should. No person should 
exert himself without being fortified with a rea- 
sonable meal. Few people realize this before 
attempting to take exercise on an empty stomach ; 
and, after they feel the bad effects which gener- 
ally follow, they attribute the uncomfortable con- 
sequences to the particular exercise taken. This 
is unjust and erroneous. The trouble lies in the 
particular time chosen. The same exercise taken 
at another hour would generally prove beneficial. 

The pith of the matter in beginning is contained 
in the two words, learn sloivly. It may seem pain- 
fully simple, but experience shows that the cau- 



4© CYCLING. 

tion is required. So many muscles, ordinarily 
unused, are brought into play, that unless the 
first rides are very short the whole system be- 
comes fatigued. It should be regarded as an im- 
perative rule, in the firsttwo months of practice, 
to never do enough to become really fatigued. 

The secret of rapid learning and of acquiring 
facility in the use of a cycle is in taking frequent, 
regular, and short rides, aided, if possible, by a 
rider of judgment. Remember that it is not brute 
force, but skillful management of a wheel, which 
makes riding easy and pleasant, and secures speed 
as well. The method of taking short daily rides 
will produce the best results; the muscles will 
steadily strengthen; and improvement will be 
rapid. 

The first ride should be, if possible, under the 
direction of an experienced rider. It must be 
taken very slowly. Half a mile is long enough 
for many to undertake. A mile is sufficient for 
the average person, and a mile and a half is far 
enough for any man who is not already a bicycler. 
The second ride should not be any longer; but it 
may be taken a little more rapidly. The increase 
for the first week should not much more than 
double the distance ridden the first day. 

In the second week, the same gradual progres- 
sion should be adhered to, and about twice as 
much ground be covered as was in the first week, 



LEARNING. 49 

provided that on no occasion the rider goes far 
enough to become particularly tired. This must 
be remembered. It takes a week or two to get 
the muscles accustomed to the exercise, and to 
acquire familiarity in the control of the wheel. 
After the second week, rides can be lengthened 
according to the rider's judgment ; but six to ten 
miles is quite far enough to attempt by the end 
of the first month. If the rider is a woman, and 
was not in good health on beginning, she will do 
well to then be able to ride five or six miles com- 
fortably. A man, unless an invalid, ought to do 
ten miles. 

There are two ways of riding — at a uniform 
gait without a stop, and to vary the gait and 
occasionally rest. The first method covers a 
given distance in the shorter time, and gives bet- 
ter results. The other method is easier, and often 
pleasanter. Hard riding is seldom advisable, and 
during the first few months should never be at- 
tempted ; but an effort should be made not to fall 
into a slovenly style. At first, occasional rests 
should be taken ; but, after a few w r eeks, it is well 
to. set a moderate pace and endeavor to maintain 
it. More good results from fairly brisk exercise 
taken in this way than from long, irregular rides. 

For some time it is well to avoid all grades, as 
they only discourage a novice. After that, try 
the hills by degrees. Take a gentle rise at first ; 



50 CYCLING. 

lean forward a little, and add your weight to the 
pressure on the pedals. If you cannot mount 
the hill, notice how far up you ride, and try again 
next day. After a few attempts you will reach 
the top. Some people avoid hills, but very fool- 
ishly. Practice in hill climbing is strengthening. 
Make it a point to take a hilly road now and then ; 
it will do the muscles lots of good, and pay many 
times over for the exertion. 

When you take your first coast, let it be on a 
gentle grade. Hold the brake partly on from the 
start. Do not allow the tricycle to run very fast, 
and then try to check it. Keep it at a moderate 
gait from the moment you begin to move, by 
means of a constant pressure on the brake. Start 
with the machine under perfect control, and keep 
the brake on sufficiently hard to retain your con- 
trol. You can, after a few coasts, reduce the brake 
pressure and ride faster with safety. Be sure, 
however, to do this by degrees, and do not at- 
tempt suddenly to coast without the brake. No 
rider can safely start free on an unknown or dan- 
gerous hill. 

Rides should, if in any way possible, be taken 
daily, be they never so short. What has been 
said about learning has been based upon daily 
practice. If rides are taken less often, it will 
take proportionally longer to learn. Proficiency 
is secured only by regular practice. In order to 



LEARNING. 51 

ride well, you must ride frequently. To derive 
benefit from it, you must ride regularly. Though 
occasional and irregular riding may be beneficial, 
it cannot produce the marked and lasting effects 
that regular riding insures. It is best to learn to 
ride on a single machine, not depending on an- 
other's aid on a tandem. You will thus acquire 
independence and self-control. 

These directions will, if rigidly follozved, enable 
even a frail woman to gain good riding power in 
a few months' time. A man need not begin quite 
so slowly, but he should follow out the same line 
of practice, and adhere to the principles on which 
it is based. 

The Safety Bicycle.— The reader is referred 
to the directions already given in this chapter for 
the general principles to be observed in learning 
to ride any type of cycle. The tricycle, being 
easiest to learn, was taken up first. It is now 
only necessary to consider the points of difference 
in other types. The tricycle has a stable base, 
so that how to pedal, how to steer, and how to 
manage the machine can be learned easily from a 
point of vantage. Bicycles, being unstable, de- 
pend upon the action of their riders to keep them 
erect, and consequently present the chief diffi- 
culty as the first one to be mastered. The steer- 
ing, however, is far less difficult than is generally 
supposed. On the safety bicycle the rider's posi- 



5^ CYCLING. 






tion fore and aft, so to speak, is a perfectly firm 
one, and he has merely to learn to preserve his 
balance by turning his steering-wheel slightly to 
one side or the other. It is quite different with 
the ordinary high bicycle. On that, the elevated 
position of the rider, and his delicate fore and aft 
balance, are so closely intertwined with his steer- 
ing that the learner feels as if he was in constant 
danger of plunging either forward or sideways 
from a height. He soon discovers, too, that if his 
wheel meets a very slight obstruction he is pretty 
sure to go over the handles ; so that, besides being 
obliged to learn simultaneously the backward and 
forward balance, and the steering, his high posi- 
tion keeps him at a sort of nervous tension which 
makes his duties seem considerably more difficult 
and complicated. 

Of these three difficulties, two are absent from 
the safety — there is no fore and aft balance to 
learn, and proximity to the ground removes cause 
for nervousness. There is left only the steering, 
which is by no means difficult to master, and 
while it is more sensitive than that of the ordi- 
nary, it is more readily learned. This is partly 
because the rider's sense of security keeps him 
clear headed ; partly because he has nothing else 
to think of; and partly because, when he begins 
to lose his balance, he can so quickly and easily 
regain it by a considerable turn of the steering- 



LEARNIAG. 53 

wheel. A similar turn in the first lessons on an 
ordinary would probably wrench the machine 
from the instructor's grasp, or cause a fall in some 
other way. The ordinary steering, which is so 
perfectly steady when learned, is harder to ac- 
quire, and partly for the reason that it must be, to 
a greater extent than on the safety, practiced in 
a comparatively straight . line. Almost any one 
can learn to ride a safety in a very few lessons, 
and it is not uncommon to require only three or 
four. 

Perhaps the easiest way to learn to ride is to 
select a smooth, level piece of road, and get a 
cycling friend to hold the machine while you 
mount, and then steady you while you pedal 
slowly a short distance. He should have his left 
hand near the center of the handle-bar, and his 
right hand under the saddle ; by holding the ma- 
chine in this way, he can support it entirely alone 
if necessary. Frequent rests should be taken, and 
not over twenty or thirty minutes occupied with 
each of the first few lessons. 

A bicycle is maintained in its upright position 
through balancing by means of its steering-wheel. 
It will not stand alone because its balance is not 
then maintained through a change of position of 
the steering-wheel ; but, place an expert rider in 
the saddle, and he maintains the balance by turn- 
ing the steering-wheel an almost imperceptible 



5 4 CYCLING. 

distance to one side or the other, and at the same 
time can move ahead at a gait so slow that a 
novice on attempting it would immediately fall 
from his wheel. On the ordinary bicycle still 
more can be done ; a very expert rider can learn, 
with practice, to come to a complete stop and, 
turning his wheel a little to one side, maintain his 
balance at a stand-still by turning his wheel very 
slightly and quickly to one side or the other. 
The balance of a iDicycle is maintained by turning 
the steering-wheel in the direction toward which 
you are falling, which action inevitably preserves 
the equilibrium of the machine. The natural im- 
pulse is to try to avoid a fall by running away 
from it, that is to say, by turning the wheel away 
from the direction toward which you are con- 
scious of inclining. This is a case in which the 
natural impulse is wholly wrong, and learning to 
steer is simply learning to overcome this first 
impulse, and to develop by practice a new and 
different one. If the novice is assisted by a 
friend, he will learn advantageously, because the 
assistant will aid him in his first attempts at steer- 
ing, and will constantly repeat the directions 
which nearly every novice, in his earliest efforts, 
is pretty sure to keep forgetting. 

But besides being held upright in the saddle 
and so taught to steer, the learner must do other 
and independent work, A correspondent of the 



LEARNING. 55 

Bicycling News suggests that he "remove from off 
the cranks the pedals, place the seat at its lowest, 
select a road slightly on the decline, and com- 
mence operations by imitating the hobby-horse 
action so well defined by comic artists of the last 
generation. This will do away with those fallings 
and scrapings and bendings of cranks and handle- 
bars so often met with amongst novices." 

The idea is to have the saddle so low that the 
toes can just touch the ground and so enable the 
learner to practice steering easily and independ- 
ently. It might be worth trying. He should 
also practice grasping the handles with both 
hands, place his left foot on the step, and put the 
machine in motion by hopping a few times with 
his right foot. In doing this, he must keep his 
machine erect and straight by turning the steer- 
ing-wheel very gently from side to side. After a 
few hops, he should rise carefully on his left foot, 
thus carrying all his weight on the step, and see 
how far he can maintain the balance of the ma- 
chine, always remembering to turn toward the ap- 
parent danger; that is, toward the side to which 
he is falling. The first attempt will probably be 
an utter failure, and he will have to jump off from 
the step. It is tiresome work, but it is necessary 
practice, and he must persevere in it ; but only a 
few minutes at a time, and with frequent rests. 

When the learner can preserve his balance on 



5 6 CYCLING. 

the step, and ride a little distance standing thus 
on his left foot, he should lean a little farther 
forward, move his right leg along till it rests 
partly over the saddle, and then slide gently for- 
ward on to the saddle. He must not give a 
spring or jump in taking the saddle ; but should 
rise slightly and gently on his left foot, and when 
his right leg reaches the saddle slide forward 
smoothly on it to a comfortable position. While 
reaching for the saddle, he must not forget that 
the balance of the machine depends more than 
ever upon his proper steering. The better the 
mount he makes, the less is the steering affected, 
while a jump or lurch into place will make the 
machine wobble. 

As soon as the rider is well on the saddle he 
must feel for his pedals, in order to keep the 
wheel in motion. He must keep up a motion, 
though a very moderate one, as a novice, being a 
poor hand at steering, finds either a very slow or 
very rapid pace practically impossible. Probably, 
on gaining the saddle, the novice can ride but a 
few feet, when his power of steering will seem to 
desert him and he will topple over to one side, 
when he can alight easily on his foot, taking care 
however to keep the pedal from striking the 
ground. It is merely want of practice. He 
should rest a few minutes, and then try again, 
and repeat the process a number of times. Re- 



LEARNING. 57 

member, however, not to continue it until very 
tired, and do not be discouraged if you seem to 
make no progress in the first lesson. Take short 
lessons, one or two a day if convenient, and you 
will soon learn. After something of the knack of 
steering is acquired by being held in the saddle 
by a friend a few times, a little persistent, inde- 
pendent work at the step and in mounting will 
enable you to begin riding. 

If there is no friend at hand to assist in the 
first attempts, you can learn alone easily enough, 
but the practice will have to begin with the step, 
and by taking off the pedals and lowering the 
saddle, in the manner already described. It may, 
and probably will, take a little longer to learn, 
for you will not be accustomed to the feeling of 
being in the saddle, and steering and pedaling 
simultaneously there. Simply bear in mind 
the principles to be observed, and take short 
lessons. 

Some will prefer to make their initial attempts 
in a riding school, where competent assistance 
and instruction are usually to be had. About the 
only objection to this (and it is not a serious 
one) is that when the learner takes his first rides 
on the road he is apt to be discouraged, for the 
little inequalities and grades seem hard after the 
perfectly smooth surface of the school floor. But 
this sensation soon disappears, and the learner 



58 CYCLING. 

may be better off for the instruction he has re- 
ceived. 

If a woman is learning to ride the safety bicycle, 
some modifications in the above directions should 
be observed. If it is practicable for her to go to 
a school for her first lessons, she should certainly 
do so, as she will find the assistance she gets 
there, as well as the privacy, a great advantage ; 
but, if no school is available, she can learn on the 
road with the help of some good rider. 

As a woman is prevented by her attire from 
practicing on the step or mounting from it, capable 
assistance is imperative for her. Her instructor 
should place the machine in position, with the 
right pedal a little forward of the vertical. He 
should then hold it firmly while she grasps the 
handles from the left side, places her right foot 
on the right pedal, and rises to the saddle. When 
she is properly seated he should grasp the handle- 
bar and frame in the way already described, and 
all is ready. The instructor walks along on the 
left side of the machine, steadying it with his right 
hand and assisting in the steering with his left. 
The rider must pedal very slowly in order to en- 
able her assistant to keep pace with her, and to 
keep her steady. She must watch closely the 
effects of her attempts at steering, and follow 
carefully her instructor's directions. Very fre- 
quent rests must be taken, as it is tiresome work 



LEARNING. 59 

at the start, and the first lessons should be short 
ones. After a few lessons the steering will be 
mastered so far as to enable the learner to ride a 
little distance alone, and when this point is reached 
more rapid advance will be made. 

The next steps are to learn to dismount, and 
to mount alone. In the first lessons the learner 
is helped to mount by her assistant ; but, as soon 
as she is able to ride a short distance alone, she 
will sometimes find it necessary to dismount with- 
out help, so that point is first considered. 

The simplest way to get off the machine is to 
slow up until you are just moving, then apply the 
brake and, as the machine inclines to one side, 
reach for the ground with the foot on that side; 
as the foot touches the ground, draw the other 
foot through after it, taking care to hold the 
handles steadily and prevent the pedal from strik- 
ing the ground. You will perhaps be told that 
this is no ''dismount" at all, but simply falling 
off; if you are so informed, never mind it; it is 
practically unavoidable at the start, and some- 
times necessary afterwards; and, as a matter of 
fact, is often convenient. 

A more regular and graceful dismount, however, 
when well done, is to ride very slowly ; apply the 
brake as the left pedal reaches the lowest point ; 
bear all the weight upon the left foot as you stop, 
carrying the right foot through to the left side, 



60 CYCLING. 

and so stepping off upon the ground on the right 
foot. It requires practice and care to do this 
well, but it can be learned with patience. It is 
much better to learn to do one or two dismounts 
quickly and thoroughly well than to do several 
poorly. To mount alone, a novice can go to a. 
curb or a large stone, slide into the saddle from 
it, but keeping one foot on the curb or stone, and 
then get the machine into motion by giving a 
push-off from the curb with the foot. If this is 
tried, care should be taken not to start with a jerk 
which will swing the steering-wheel around ; but 
to push off firmly and evenly. A better method 
is to stand close to the left side of the wheel hold- 
ing the handles firmly, with the right pedal just a 
little forward beginning to descend, as already 
described for mounting. Put the right foot 
through upon the pedal, adjust the dress to hang 
evenly, and then rise to the saddle by bearing 
your weight upon the right pedal. By this action 
you reach the saddle and also put the machine in 
motion. It must be done quickly, but evenly, and 
without a jerk or jump. You will feel the ma- 
chine begin to move forward as you rise, and you 
must pay attention to the steering Probably the 
first attempts will not seat you comfortably ; it 
will be necessary to practice it until you can reach 
the saddle with skirts hanging properly, and with- 
out having the wheel wobble all over the road, 



LEARNING. 61 

The Ordinary Bicycle. — The principles to 
be observed in learning to ride a cycle having' 
already been given at length in the two previous 
divisions of this chapter, the reader is referred to 
them for many suggestions applicable to all types, 
and especially to the remarks on steering under 
the head of The Safety Bicycle. 

A great difficulty in learning to ride the ordi- 
nary bicycle is the delicate fore and aft balance of 
the machine, already alluded to, and the combina- 
tion with it of the elevated position ; so that nearly 
all learners begin their practice at a nervous ten- 
sion not at all favorable to rapid advance, or are 
soon thrown into a nervous state from taking 
a header. The steering proper is extremely 
steady and reliable when it is once mastered. 

The most rapid advance and the best results are 
usually produced by taking a few preliminary les- 
sons in a riding school. In this case you have the 
advantage of beginning practice on a wheel small 
enough to be much more easily mounted and con- 
trolled than the one which will be a proper fit 
after you can ride fairly well. It should be two 
or three sizes too small for you. Besides this, 
you will get the preliminary help necessary to 
hold you up until you can move a little way alone, 
and you will be taught how to fall off the machine 
(before you can dismount properly) in a way 
which will preserve both you and it from injury. 



62 CYCLING. 

These advantages are hard to obtain on the road ; 
because it is difficult to get sufficient time and 
attention from a friend ; difficult also to find one 
who can give as much instruction ; and a disad- 
vantage to be obliged to learn on as large a wheel 
as you will ultimately ride. 

In the opinion of some, most of the advantages 
of learning in a school can be secured by learning 
on a machine of the type once called "safety," 
but more properly "dwarf," bicycles, if one can be 
obtained. These wheels had usually a thirty-six 
inch driver, a twenty inch rear wheel, and were 
driven by two chains. This arrangement allowed 
the saddle to be placed a little farther back than 
on the ordinary bicycle, and made the fore and 
aft balance much less delicate. It was also so low 
that it could be mounted with ease, and a fall 
from it in learning involved no terrors for the 
pupil. With these advantages for learning over 
the higher and more delicate ordinary, a novice 
could go of! by himself, and by practicing indus- 
triously with the step, in the manner already de- 
scribed for learning the safety alone, soon learn to 
ride. He would then be able to advance to the 
ordinary bicycle with a little assistance in his first 
attempts. 

But it is quite possible to learn without the aid 
of a school, a dwarf machine, or even a friend, and 
many men have done so. It is a poor plan, how- 



LEARNING. 63 

ever, to do without the last named, for it inevita- 
bly submits yourself and wheel to more or less 
injury, besides making your work much more 
difficult. If you have a friend to aid you, he will 
assist you to mount, and steady you in the saddle 
until you can steer a little yourself, just as already 
explained in the case of the safety; but you must 
supplement this practice with independent work 
on the step as in the other case. 

It is in the first attempt at independent mount- 
ing that the advantage of learning on a wheel be- 
low one's size becomes most apparent, for the 
mount is most easily made by a novice when he 
has a comparatively short distance to go to reach 
the saddle. He is ready to make the trial as soon 
as he can steer the machine a little way while 
standing on the step. To do so, he proceeds just 
as with the safety, but in reaching forward to 
slide upon the saddle he must be as cautious as 
possible. Particular care must be taken not to 
jump upon the saddle, or to lurch forward into 
place. When the right leg reaches the saddle, a 
very gentle motion will enable you to slide easily 
into place, and to catch the upper pedal as soon 
as you have done so. 

When in position, begin at once to pedal gently 
and steer carefully. Probably you will soon top- 
ple over, and you must then come down properly. 
When you find that you are going, keep cool and 



64 CYCLING. 

hold your handles easily. As you go down, throw 
the leg which is uppermost around over the front 
of the wheel between the top of the wheel and 
the handle-bar, keeping hold of the handles, which 
will then cross your legs at an angle. You will 
then come down on both feet with the head of the 
machine between your legs, and the handles in 
your hands ; you will be unhurt, and by holding 
the machine up a little you can prevent it from 
striking the ground, and so save it from injury. 
To fall off properly is a valuable acquirement. 
Every time you mount, however, you will be able 
to ride farther, and you can soon learn to dis- 
mount properly. 

In order to dismount, ride very slowly, and as 
either pedal reaches its lowest point throw all the 
weight upon it, at the same time bringing the 
other leg over the backbone, and step down upon 
the ground on the leg that has come over. In 
doing this you can either retain your grasp of both 
handles, or can, as you bring one leg over, loosen 
your grip of the far handle and grasp the saddle 
instead as you come to the ground. Most riders 
dismount on the left side, by bearing on the left 
pedal and bringing the right leg over behind, and 
coming down on the right foot. Every rider 
ought to be able to dismount from either pedal ; 
but he should practice till he can dismount from 
one of them at least very quickly and gracefully. 



LEARNING. 65 

Other methods of dismounting are occasionally 
used. One is to slow up, release the hold of one , 
handle, raise the leg on that side over the handle- 
bar, at the same time turning the body a little 
toward the other side, releasing the other handle 
at the same time, and with a slight spring slide 
off to the ground, as you go down catching the 
handle or saddle of the wheel with the nearest 
hand. This is not very graceful or convenient. 
Another dismount is just the reverse of mount- 
ing; that is, slide back a little on the saddle, reach 
carefully for the step with the left foot, taking 
care to avoid the spokes, and, when you feel it, 
step back carefully upon it, and so off to the 
ground. This is not nearly so convenient as the 
pedal dismount. Still another dismount is to 
spring backward evenly from the pedals, letting 
the machine run forward from under you, and tak- 
ing good care not to strike the backbone or rear 
wheel in coming down. This form is most valua- 
ble when, in an emergency, a sudden dismount to 
the rear is needed. 

Besides the usual mount from the step already 
described, there is a graceful mount by the pedal 
which some few take pains to acquire. To do it, 
stand on the left side of your wheel, grasp the 
left handle and the saddle, move forward a little, 
and as the left pedal comes back and begins to 
rise, place your left foot upon it and vault into the 



66 CYCLING. 

saddle. You must have enough headway with 
the wheel to have the pedal raise you as it ascends, 
but you must bear your weight so lightly upon it 
as not to cause a fall ; you must also take good 
care in vaulting to the saddle not to destroy the 
balance of the machine, but must catch your 
pedals at once. If this is attempted, much care 
should be exercised as a fall often results from the 
first attempts, and spokes are likely to be broken. 

It is highly important in learning to ride the 
bicycle, and particularly an ordinary, to endeavor 
to acquire skill and facility in its use before you 
attempt to cultivate strength and speed. If the 
novice is painstaking in his riding for the first few 
months, and careful to learn to do well every lit- 
tle thing in the management of his wheel, during 
the first season, he will secure the best results and 
obtain good control of his wheel. Let him keep 
a cool head, always stick to his wheel to the last, 
and if he rides with any judgment his wheel will 
stick to him. He will also find that his strength 
greatly increases, so that when he begins to 
attempt a faster gait he will be able to improve 
rapidly. 

Most of the saddles furnished to-day in this 
country are of the "hammock" type, the saddle 
and spring being one. Though of a fixed length 
they arc long enough to admit some sliding back 
on them from the natural position, and the novice 






LEARNING. 67 

should sit as far back as is comfortable. If he 
has a wheel with a flat spring, on which the 
saddle can be moved backward and forward, he 
should not put the saddle too close to the head 
at first. If very near the head, the machine runs 
possibly a trifle easier, but the danger of a header 
is increased. At the start, put it as far back as 
is comfortable ; then, say once a month, you can 
advance it about half an inch. By this means 
you can secure a safe and favorable position. 
When mounted, sit up straight and well back. 
Unless for special cause, like racing, running 
against a high wind, or mounting a hard hill, it is 
best to sit erect. Should you have occasion to lean 
over the handles, look out well for obstructions. 
A slight one, if unexpected, may cause a header. 
Do not grasp the handles like a vice but hold 
them lightly, and occasionally change the posi- 
tion of the hands on them, if you have pear 
handles, in order to get accustomed to the differ- 
ent holds. When you can steer with a light 
grasp, practice steering with only one hand, until 
you can control the wheel easily in that way. 
When that is acquired, remove both hands from 
the handles for an instant, taking care to press 
evenly with the feet. If the wheel swerves, a lit- 
tle pressure on a pedal will right it. Practice this 
a little at a time, but often, and you will soon be 
able to ride hands off. This accomplishment is 



6& CYCLING. 

not for show, but to give a good control of the 
wheel, and will teach you quickly the importance 
of even pedaling. Most persons pedal more or 
less unevenly, exerting greater pressure with one 
foot than with the other, and this, of course, tends 
to deflect the wheel from a true line. Steering 
with the hands counteracts this tendency more or 
less completely, but a man who does all his steer- 
ing with his hands, rarely, if ever, rides as true 
and gracefully as the man who can steer perfectly 
with feet alone. By practicing diligently, hands 
off, a little at a time, perfectly even pedaling can 
be acquired, and a man can ride for miles on good 
roads without touching his handles. 

To slow the machine, and to stop it under all 
ordinary circumstances, it is necessary to learn to 
back-pedal. To do this, sit straight and begin 
to put a gentle pressure upon each pedal at the 
very lowest point, just an instant before it begins 
to rise. In riding down a steep hill, the control 
of your wheel depends very largely upon whether 
you can feel and hold the pedal at that peculiar 
point. If you cannot, the wheel is too large for 
you, no matter how small you may think it when 
riding on the smooth level. But the first attempts 
at back-pedaling must be on the level, and must 
be very moderate. The power applied can be 
increased by degrees, but if too much is put on it 
at first a fall may follow. An expert back-pedaler 



LEARNING. 69 

can stop in a very short space by this means 
alone. 

After you have ridden a month or two you can 
try your first coast. Take a smooth and gentle 
hill ; throw one foot lightly over the handle, and 
pedal carefully with the other. The machine will 
be a little less steady than usual, but, if the hill is 
not steep, you will have no trouble. Next time, 
try the same thing with the other leg up. Try 
it several times with each leg before you put both 
legs up. Don't try a steep hill until you are used 
to gentle ones. At the end of the coast, take 
down your legs carefully, taking care to steady the 
machine by the handles. Coasting is so fascinat- 
ing that it sometimes leads to recklessness ; but if 
you never coast where you cannot safely pedal, 
and never risk a strange hill when you cannot 
see the bottom, there is very little to be feared. 
Do not coast a hill that has vehicles on it. A 
cycle has only the rights of other vehicles, and no 
right to go flying down forcing any one out of the 
way. Moreover, the sudden twists sometimes 
required to pass vehicles, especially if the road is 
narrow, are not safe when coasting rapidly. 

Learn to use the brake. It is often needed, in 
descending hills, and to slow the speed in coasting. 
Apply it very cautiously at first, but practice with it 
till you can use it comfortably. Never take an 
unnecessary risk. Keep the machine well in hand. 



RIDING AND TOURING. 



A PERSON who has just acquired the power to 
propel a bicycle without falling can no more 
be said to really know how to ride it than can the 
novice, who, mounting a tricycle for the first 
time, and pushing it awkwardly and laboriously 
for a distance, know how to ride that machine. 
To acquire the ability to propel one at all is, of 
course, the first step ; but it requires considerable 
time and careful practice to learn to ride effectively 
and well, and a number of weeks of regular work 
must elapse before any considerable distance can 
be ridden, or any great speed attained, without 
over-exertion on the part of the rider. On begin- 
ning to ride the temptation almost invariably is 
to lengthen the distance or increase the speed 
before good facility in the management of the 
wheel is acquired, or the muscles become accus- 
tomed to their work. This is apt to lead to a 
slovenly manner of riding and, if carried too far, 
may result in accidents, or prostration from over- 
exertion. These evils can be entirely avoided by 
making haste slowly. 

7Q 



RIDING AND TOURING. 7 1 

To become a good rider requires patience, care- 
ful attention, and regular practice. Many wheel- 
men, it is true, become good in certain points, but 
not many ever become proficient in all respects. 
A few learn to ride in good general form, or at 
least without any glaring fault; a few become 
strong, steady goers, capable of sustained effort ; a 
few are good hill climbers ; a few get the knack 
of taking any road that comes, and a very few 
indeed learn to ride with proper ankle action. 
The man whose accomplishments include him in 
all these classes is a rara avis. It is not until a 
little attention is given to the matter that it is 
possible to realize how deficient very many riders 
are in some of the little acquirements that belong 
to the make-up of a really proficient wheelman. 
It can be readily tested. Think over the points 
necessary to make an ideal rider and then notice 
every one you see upon the wheel. The result 
will be a revelation, and form in riding will prove 
an interesting study. 

Probably, with the ordinary, the most common 
cause of poor riding is having too long a reach, 
and this, of course, is caused by too large a wheel. 
Wheelmen almost universally recognize that too 
large an ordinary is the more liable to accidents, 
though each one usually denies that his own 
mount is at all too large ; but they do not gener- 
ally realize how handicapped they are on average 



72 CYCLING. 

roads by having their mount even one size too 
large, nor know anything of the increased power, 
more perfect control, and greater degree of pleas- 
ure that ensues from having a wheel well within 
the reach. The once cherished notion that there 
was more speed to be gotten out of a large wheel 
than out of a smaller one has been exploded time 
and again as far as road riding is concerned. 
But the constant accessions to the ranks of wheel- 
men tend to always maintain a considerable 
number of riders who, for a time at least, will 
cherish such a notion. Fortunately, this erroneous 
view is confined largely to them and is no longer 
of the well-nigh universal character that it was in 
the days of the infancy of cycling. 

It is probably better to hold correct views even 
if not lived up to, than to cherish incorrect ones ; 
consequently, a clear advance is visible when 
bicyclists agree that the proper thing to be sought 
is a correct fit rather than the largest size that 
can be reached. But ''there's the rub." Every 
man has his private notion of what really is a fit 
for him, and experience and observation show 
that the majority select a mount one size too 
large, while those who try to do all they can 
choose mounts two sizes too large, It is one of 
those cases in which the majority are obviously 
wrong. Experienced riders, in purchasing new 
mounts, will always choose one as small as they 



RIDING AND TOURING. 73 

can ride with comfort, and before the safety began 
to supplant the ordinary the tendency of old 
riders to take smaller wheels had become quite 
marked. It is also worth noting that very many 
riders of the ordinary do not have complete con- 
fidence in their wheels or feel perfectly at home 
on them. This is due principally to the fact that 
they have not a firm hold of their pedals at the 
lowest point, and consequently are conscious that 
there is a certain constantly returning point at 
which their wheel becomes more or less indepen- 
dent of them. The lack of confidence which so 
often follows the sensation of imperfect control 
(which is most noticeable at high speed, down 
steep hills, and over obstructions) is very sel- 
dom traced to its true cause, and one result has 
been a great desertion of the ordinary for the 
safety. 

A perfect fit is obviously one that will give the . 
rider the maximum of power, and the most per- 
fect control of the wheel. The maximum degree 
of power can only be secured by having a reach 
short enough to enable the rider to apply power 
at every available part of the stroke. This means 
a great deal more than the direct, vertical thrust 
which is all that a large majority ever learn. It 
means a reach so short that a good ankle action 
will have the toe far enough below the pedal, 
when it is at its lowest point, to enable the rider 



74 CYCLING. 

to continue his application of power backward 
beyond that lowest point. It also means a reach 
so short that on back-pedaling down a steep hill 
the pedals are felt perfectly, and held steadily, at 
the lowest point of every revolution. The test 
for both cases is the same ; the rider should be 
able to place his heel upon the pedal when it is 
at the lowest point. This position can be readily 
found on a safety or tricycle, as the saddles are 
adjustable, but an ordinary of the right size must 
be bought. 

In securing the reach which enables the rider 
to apply his power to the greatest advantage, 
there is also obtained a reach which gives the best 
control of the wheel. This is an advantage on 
chain-driven machines, where additional comfort 
and safety are gained, and is the matter of chief im- 
portance on the ordinary. The control gained re- 
lates to ability to pass safely over obstacles, and 
effectiveness of steering. The first of these is the 
more affected by having too long a reach (or too 
large a wheel), and is closely connected with the 
delicate fore and aft balance of the ordinary, 
treated of in the chapter on ''Learning." A good 
rider takes the inequalities of the road and ordi- 
nary obstacles in such a way as to give himself 
and machine the minimum of jar, and keeps his 
rear wheel, if on an ordinary, in its place upon the 
road, not allowing it to fly up when passing over 



RIDING AND TOURING. 75 

slight obstructions as does the rear wheel of a 
poor rider. This is accomplished by having the 
reach so short that the foot can exert full pressure 
at the lowest point of each stroke ; and by riding 
well on the pedals, instead of sitting (or hanging) 
on the saddle, especially over all rough and bad 
spots. 

Moreover, the rider should be able to pedal his 
machine while standing on his pedals, with his 
body entirely clear of the saddle. Of course he 
should clear the saddle but a trifle, for his leg 
should get a full stretch at every stroke ; but a 
full stretch by no means implies that the toe 
should barely touch the pedal when the leg is ex- 
tended. If the wheel is a size too large the rider 
usually will not be able to clear his saddle while 
pedaling; or, if he can, he will be riding delicately 
on his toes without a firm grip of the pedals. 
The longer for the rider the reach is, the weaker 
becomes the grip of the pedal that the toe can 
get, and the more is the rider compelled to trust 
to the momentum of the machine to pass over 
obstacles. This inclination to trust to momentum 
is a defect common to beginners, and to nearly 
all who ride with too long a reach. A rider on a 
wheel which fits him can pedal all the way in a 
bad place and depend upon this complete and 
continuous control of his machine to get through ; 
his machine obeys him, and he obtains confi- 



7 6 CYCLING. 

dence — there is nothing like a good fit, and pedal- 
ing all the way, to give one confidence. But the 
rider who has too long a reach is obliged to de- 
pend largely upon momentum to carry him over 
bad spots ; he can never know just how he is 
going to get through ; he becomes more or less 
nervous; on an ordinary is in constant dread of a 
fall; never gets the greatest pleasure out of his 
wheel, and if he rides an ordinary he becomes a 
ready disciple of the safety. 

Besides the fore and aft control of the machine, 
just considered, more perfect control of the wheel 
in the way of effectiveness of steering should not 
be overlooked. It is the same reach that gives 
the maximum of power, and complete control at 
the lowest point of each revolution of the pedal, 
that makes it possible for a rider to acquire almost 
perfect control of the steering by feet alone, on 
the ordinary, and assists balancing on the safety. 
This is not suggested with a view to attempting 
any fancy feats whatever. It is, however, always 
practically useful to have a wheel under the most 
perfect control ; and ability to have both hands 
free may frequently be of use, especially if one 
rides in cold weather when the ears and fingers 
tingle. In case, too, of a broken handle-bar, many 
a rider has been able to reach home when he 
could not have done so had he been obliged to 
depend solely on his bar for steering purposes. 



RIDING AND TOURING. 77 

The secret of getting at the truest pleasures of 
the wheel is to learn to master thoroughly the 
mount chosen, so that the rider feels at home on 
it and is able to ride anywhere within the bounds 
of reason. To accomplish this, considerable at- 
tention must be paid to many little details at the 
start, at which time it is just as easy to form good 
habits as bad ones, and the habit of riding in 
good form can be readily cultivated. For several 
months at least, and preferably for nearly all the 
first season one rides, the attention should be 
turned to acquiring skill ; speed and endurance 
are yet of minor importance and, moreover, one 
can become proficient in both of them far more 
quickly if there is first acquired a good degree of 
skill in manipulating the wheel under all ordinary 
circumstances. It is difficult to lay too much 
stress upon these considerations, because they are 
so often ignored. The published reports of speed 
and endurance on the wheel are apt to rouse in 
the novice a spirit of emulation which, though fre- 
quently desirable, should be controlled until skill 
is acquired. When a rider becomes really skill- 
ful, speed and endurance can be safely cultivated 
by means of a training more or less complete 
according to the objects in view. 

When one has first really learned to ride, the 
runs should be brief ones, — and as much attention 
and energy should be expended in acquiring good 



7 8 CYCLING, 

form as in the propulsion of the wheel. The 
quality of good form is equally valuable for its 
effect upon the rider and the observer — it enables 
the former to get the utmost out of his wheel in 
every way, and it convinces the latter that cycling 
is most easy and charming. Good form is usually 
the result of mastery of the wheel, and is prac- 
tically impossible to one who has incomplete con- 
trol of his mount ; it is the easy grace that one 
acquires in a position of which he is the conscious 
master. 

In order to cultivate good form, the reach must 
be of the proper length, already insisted on, and 
the handles carefully adjusted as to height, and 
not so long as fashion has sometimes demanded. 
The principle of a comfortable reach for the arms 
is to have the handles at such a height and of 
such a length, that the hands will drop naturally 
upon them a little in front of the body, and a 
trifle to each side of it, while the rider is in the 
saddle with feet on pedals. The rider should be 
in an erect, easy position, not bent forward, with 
the elbows very slightly bent. For this purpose 
a bar not over twenty-nine inches from tip to 
tip should be used ; twenty-eight inches is long 
enough for most persons, while those with short 
arms need an inch or two less. In height, the han- 
dles should be, roughly speaking, a little higher 
than the saddle. Such combination of leg reach 



RIDING AND TOURING. 79 

and arm reach will give most comfort and power, 
and tend to reduce the inclination felt, on a badly 
adjusted wheel, to change the position in rapid rid- 
ing. Of course, an ordinary which has requisite 
provision made for these points should be selected. 
On a safety, the elliptical handle, well curved 
back, is satisfactory ; and the spade handle is very 
good. On an ordinary, both the T and spade 
handles give very good grip, and are much supe- 
rior to the pear. A peculiarly shaped, curved- 
back handle-bar, which is fitted to both safeties 
and ordinaries of one make, gives an excellent 
hold. The saddle also must be of good character 
and suitably adjusted. Nearly all those made 
here now have the seat suspended between springs 
and are "universally adjustable," — that is, the ten- 
sion of the leather can be altered ; they yield to 
the form of the rider, and they can be raised or 
lowered at either end at will. Some little prac- 
tice and attention is usually required in order to 
find just the position where one does not slip and 
is not chafed, and one should experiment until it 
is found. Saddles vary a little in length, a moder- 
ately long one being a good thing on an ordinary, 
more particularly for comfort in coasting. On a 
safety, however, there is opportunity for some lit- 
tle fore and aft adjustment on the T pin which 
carries it. It is worth while for each rider to ex- 
periment for himself a little in this matter with 



80 CYCLING. 

regard to two points, viz : Ease of propulsion (as 
the position is made more or less vertical) and 
steadiness of steering (as the weight of the rider 
approaches or recedes from the center of the driv- 
ing-wheel). While the opinions of riders differ 
considerably on these points, those who have 
studied the matter and are entitled to be con- 
sidered authorities are pretty well agreed that 
there is such a thing as too vertical action, and 
that power can be best applied from a position 
slightly in the rear of the pedals, while the steer- 
ing is obviously steadied by carrying as much 
weight as possible on the driving-wheel. The 
opinion of one of the first English authorities, ex- 
pressed editorially in the Cyclist, is as follows : 

" If a machine is required for racing, either on the road or 
path, or for what is known as ' scorching,' pure and simple, 
the saddle may be placed a few inches back. For fast riding 
it is desirable. On the other hand, should a machine be re- 
quired for ordinary road riding, more especially if the district 
in which it will be used is a hilly one, then the construction 
of the machine should permit of the saddle being placed so 
that a plumet dropped from the peak will fall on the center 
of the crank-axle. We may further explain at this point 
that the lighter and more powerful in the legs a rider is, and 
the more nearly he approaches ' form,' the faster will he be 
likely to ride, and the further back will his saddle be found 
advantageous ; but, on the other hand, for a man — more es- 
pecially if he be a heavy weight — who rides perhaps once in 
a week, travels at a moderate pace and for pleasure only, 
and who is never really in an athletically fit condition, such 



RIDING AND TOURING. 81 

a position would be absolute misery, and it will be a neces- 
sity for his comfort and ease in riding that he keeps well 
over his work. As to which of the two extremes, or as to 
what intermediate point will be more suitable for their indi- 
vidual requirements, our readers can best decide for them- 
selves." 

With properly adjusted reach, handles, and sad- 
dle a rider is in position to practice to the best 
advantage and ought to be able, if he is assiduous 
in his work, to acquire good form. He must sit 
erect, but not stiffly; he must rest easily and 
lightly on the saddle, with a good portion of the 
weight carried always on the pedals ; he must ac- 
quire control of the wheel by feet alone so that 
he can at any moment free both hands for use ; 
he must ride accurately, so that he can pick his 
way between obstacles with the rear wheel always 
following in track; he must pedal steadily and 
firmly till he learns to spontaneously increase the 
pressure immediately on feeling that the wheel is 
passing over an obstacle or hole, and he must cul- 
tivate good ankle action. This array of virtues 
is not too formidable for any one to cultivate, and 
each one well repays the rider for the practice and 
attention taken to acquire it. 

If one is something of an athlete, he can natur- 
ally take longer rides at first than one unaccus- 
tomed to exercise ; but if one indulges in only 
one athletic sport, as walking, rowing, or running, 
he cannot presume too far upon his proficiency in 



82 CYCLING. 

that, and expect to be able to do a great deal 
more on the wheel at the start on that account. 
The cycle calls into simultaneous action a greater 
number of muscles than does any other exercise, 
and many of them are muscles scarcely used at 
all by the majority of people; consequently, on 
beginning to ride, it is well-nigh impossible to 
go too slowly. Of course no arbitrary distance 
could be judiciously assigned, as riders, roads, and 
opportunities vary considerably ; but it is well to 
remember that short, regular, moderately fast 
rides are much more beneficial than longer, infre- 
quent ones, and that no considerable distance, or 
high speed, should be attempted unless one is in 
regular practice. If one rides five to ten miles 
nearly every day, part of it at good speed, he will 
soon be in shape to ride fifty or even a hundred 
miles in a day without danger of over-exertion ; 
but if he rides only once a week, he ought to take 
an easy gait and not attempt anything like the 
distances just given, as ten to twenty miles will 
be all he is really fit for. On good roads, nine to 
ten miles an hour may be called tolerably fast 
riding; from eleven to thirteen miles is a really 
fast gait, and worth occasional practice for the 
sake of the wind and endurance it gives, while 
from fourteen miles upward is a road-racing speed. 
On poor roads, from one to three miles less per 
hour is probably about equivalent. 



RIDING AND TOURING. 83 

It is possible for a person quite out of proper 
condition to perform some feat of marked endur- 
ance on the wheel if he is a good rider; but it will 
cause over-exertion and show injurious effects 
sooner or later, and, when one gets out of condi- 
tion as much as the majority do during the winter 
months, riding ought to be resumed by degrees. 
In the few first-class riding districts in this coun- 
try where a wheel can be used nearly every week 
of the year, one can keep in fair condition ; but, if 
one does not ride almost daily, preparation must 
certainly be made for any particularly long ride 
or tour. The preparation need not consist of any 
real "training," except for racing; but should be 
in the nature of more regular, harder, and longer 
rides than usual. If a century run is contem- 
plated, several weeks of ten miles daily, at a good 
pace, should be had, and then, once a week per- 
haps, a ride of thirty, forty, or fifty miles. As 
preparation for a tour, fifteen or twenty miles 
should be ridden daily, if possible, for a couple 
of weeks, though five or ten miles a day at a rapid 
gait will answer very well as a preliminary. For 
either purpose, the rider will then be fit, — that is, 
in suitable physical condition, — and the long run, 
or the tour, will be a positive pleasure, with no 
danger of prostration from over-exertion. 

The enjoyableness of a tour depends in no small 
measure on being in sufficiently good riding shape 



84 CYCLING. 

to make the work easy, and in laying plans so as 
not to be obliged to push along too fast. Wheel- 
men who ride irregularly, and make little or no 
preparation, should be very cautious when starting 
to tour awheel ; they are apt to plan too long a 
trip, with too great a daily distance, and find the 
first few days very wearisome, even if they pull 
through. Thirty to thirty-five miles a day is 
about as much as the average man can do comfort- 
ably on give and take roads ; if one, however, is 
really in good condition and practice, probably 
from five to ten miles more can be done without 
inconvenience. The location of good stopping 
points will go far to determine the exact distance 
for each day, as a route should always be care- 
fully laid out in advance with a view to making 
halts at points where comfortable accommoda- 
tions can be secured. 

A majority of the older cyclists, and a good 
many of the younger ones, find touring most 
pleasant with a single congenial companion, if one 
is fortunate enough to have a congenial friend who 
rides. The tourists, if but two, will be thrown 
into such close relationship that similarity of 
tastes is highly desirable. In a large party, one 
can be more independent, and it is a matter of 
less consequence. When the party is limited to 
three or four it is usually possible to find accom- 
modations at desired stopping points, without 



RIDING AND TOURING. 85 

sending notice in advance and feeling more or less 
bound to keep the engagement ; but if there is a 
larger number it is necessary to take this precau- 
tion, and considerable work in the way of perfect- 
ing arrangements, and carrying them out on the 
trip, will devolve upon one of the number. 

It is now, thanks to the League of American 
Wheelmen, a very easy thing to lay out a trip 
intelligently, and plan all details in advance, with 
an almost perfect knowledge of distances between 
any given points; the character of the various 
stopping places and accommodations at them ; 
and the nature and condition of the roads over 
which one must travel. All this may be learned 
from the road books published by the larger 
state divisions of the League. These books 
usually are not sold to non-League members, 
unless at a comparatively high figure, but are sold 
to League members outside the State issuing 
them at a lower price, and supplied to State mem- 
bers at a merely nominal rate, sometimes less than 
cost. As the initiation fee of the League is but 
one dollar, and annual dues but one dollar, the 
receipt of a road book of one's own State is more 
than a return for the first year's outlay, not to 
mention a weekly cycling paper, and other advant- 
ages which members enjoy. 

It is therefore highly desirable to become a 
League member. By the aid of a road book a 
trip can be planned to an advantage in no degree 



86 CYCLING. 

attainable by any other method, and reasonably 
smooth sailing be insured. 

Some small amount of luggage must be carried, 
however short the trip ; but only what is abso- 
lutely necessary should be taken. If the weather 
is warm so that one rides in a flannel shirt, and the 
trip is for but a few days, the necessary extras 
are only a light coat, an undershirt and drawers, 
a comb, piece of soap, tooth brush, and a few 
handkerchiefs. These can readily be carried in a 
compactly rolled bundle on a luggage carrier on 
the handle-bar. If the trip is for a week or more, 
there should be taken, besides the change of 
underclothing, a second riding suit composed of 
shirt, pants, and stockings, which may be of the 
usual kind or of medium weight jersey material ; 
a few more handkerchiefs, a good sponge, and a 
scarf to put on of an evening. If the mount is a 
safety, all these articles can be carried in one pack- 
age, well protected by rubber; but if an ordinary 
is ridden, the additional things should be rolled 
in a second long parcel and carried on the back- 
bone by means of another luggage carrier. Should 
the projected trip be a long one, or the tourist 
desire to make a more elaborate toilet at his 
principal stopping places, he can, of course, for- 
ward such baggage as he needs by express, and 
in this way secure some additional comforts; but 
he should, even in this case, carry with him the 
necessary articles first enumerated. 



TRAINING. 



1 DRAINING for any contest consists in prelimi- 
nary preparation for it. This preparation may 
be a brief one if time is short and the person 
already in good condition ; but if the contest is of 
a kind new to the intending contestant, the prepa- 
ration ought to be of some considerable duration. 
The poorer the physical condition of the person, 
the longer and more gradual ought the training to 
be. It must also be gentle and careful at the 
start, and refrain from subjecting the person to 
any hard work for which he is not prepared. 
The mild and scientific measures now adopted by 
competent trainers are a marked contrast to the 
harsh measures and severe treatment formerly 
considered necessary. This change has come 
about through better and more varied classes of 
men participating in athletic sports — men of good 
habits, and men incapable of bearing harsh treat- 
ment, and also through the scientific study of the 
principles and objects of training. 

Though training in its full sense requires a cer- 
tain amount of time and attention, as well as the 
observance of some definite rules, the preliminary 
87 



88 CYCLING. 

preparation which must precede it is a simple 
affair, and in fact is just what every one desiring to 
have a sound body, capable of performing all its 
functions properly, ought to undertake. It in- 
volves little more than regular hours; sufficient 
sleep to thoroughly recuperate mind and body ; 
good, wholesome food ; great moderation in the 
use of stimulants ; and regular, daily, brisk, outdoor 
exercise. Such system as this is so extremely 
modest that it is hardly worth the dignity of a 
name, and probably would not receive one were 
not the conditions of modern life so complex and 
harassing that simple and natural ways of living 
are almost unknown. Health is pretty generally 
subordinated to "success" in life, and the physical 
condition is ignored until some difficulty has in- 
trenched itself in the system. Adoption of the 
rational methods just hinted at, as preliminary to 
real training, would remedy this, and would put 
the system into condition to enter vigorously and 
successfully into one's daily occupation. The 
following detailed directions in regard to objects 
and methods of training are taken from the work 
on that subject by Cortis, who was a physician as 
well as a cyclist, and also a very successful racing 
man. What he says, therefore, is entitled to 
double weight : 

"The object of training is twofold, (i.) To produce per- 
fect general health, the ' Mens sana in corpore sano ' ; and 



TRAINING. 89 

(2.) To develop special powers in individual organs ; and it 
is arrived at in two corresponding stages. 

" In treating of the first of these stages it would not ap- 
pear necessary to dilate at any great length, and yet it is the 
more important of the two, inasmuch as without a firm basis 
it is impossible to raise a sound superstructure. Moreover, 
its object is common to every one, and continues through- 
out life, from its earliest to its latest period. Its rules are 
simple, and may be summed up in the words ' Live well 
but temperately, and avoid sloth and self-indulgence.' 

" The young man should rise betimes, but no 1 " too early, 
say seven in summer and a little later in winter, according 
to the time required to get easily to his place of business. 
On getting out of bed his first proceeding should be to take 
his cold bath, and a quarter of an hour's exercise with the 
dumb-bells or Indian clubs. In summer the exercise should 
be taken first, so that the bath may remove its effects from the 
skin ; whilst in winter it should follow the bath so as to in- 
sure thorough reaction. Delicate youths — especially those 
with any tendency to consumption — may have to omit the 
bath in the depth of a cold winter, but as a rule, so long as re- 
action takes place, indicated by a warm glowing sensation 
after the bath, it has done good. On the other hand, if the 
feeling of cold or shivering occur, there is danger of catching 
cold, and it should not be persisted in. Brisk rubbing dry 
with a rough towel follows, as a matter of course. The club 
or bell exercise expands the chest, and strengthens and 
develops the lungs, which latter phrase the reader will please 
to remember signifies the means by which a ' good wind ' 
is produced. We much prefer this system to taking any very 
strong exercise before breakfast, which in most cases takes a 
lot out of a man, and produces a feeling of fatigue lasting 
through the greater part of the day. Should our neophyte, 
however, be so fortunate as to live near the sea, or a river, or 



9° CYCLING. 

swimming baths, he can, during a large portion of the year, 
with advantage, take his morning exercise and bath together, 
a good swim replacing the clubs or bells. We can imagine 
nothing better with which to commence the day than a swim 
of ten to fifteen minutes' duration, though at the same time 
we would most earnestly caution our readers that this length 
of time should never be exceeded by any one training for 
racing. This, with a brisk walk of twenty minutes, will be 
quite sufficient ; but even this amount of exercise should not 
be taken absolutely fasting ; a crust of bread, or still better a 
plate of porridge made of rough oatmeal, with a cup of milk, 
should invariably be taken before leaving the house. Break- 
fast is to be taken about eight o'clock, and should be of a 
substantial character, a chop or steak, or a piece of ham or 
bacon, with bread and a little butter, being eaten — not bolted, 
but thoroughly masticated. A lightly boiled egg may be 
taken occasionally, but not too often, as it undoubtedly tends, 
when too constantly repeated, to produce that form of indi- 
gestion termed 'biliousness.' Potted meats and similar 
made and spiced dishes should not be taken — not only are 
they indigestible, but the best part of their most nutrient 
principles has been removed in their preparation. Coffee 
with milk should be drank, as tea taken at this time of the 
day, and followed immediately by exercise, is apt to produce 
flatulence, sometimes to a painful extent. After breakfast 
we imagine that our friend will have to proceed to business. 
If this (business) does not of itself yield him sufficient walking 
exercise during the day, he will of course walk to and from 
his office instead of riding, proceeding at first in a sufficiently 
leisurely manner, as too active exercise immediately after 
food is hurtful. A substantial plain dinner should be taken 
in the middle of the day, about one o'clock. Beef and 
mutton will, of course, be the daily staple articles, com- 
bined with a proper amount of vegetables and bread, and 



TRAINING. 9 1 

pastry or a small quantity of rice or other plain pudding. 
The dietary at this time may present considerable variety, 
although it must be confined to easily digested, nutritious 
articles, which are sufficiently numerous. Among meats we 
have game and poultry of all kinds, with fish. Some of 
these may be usefully intermingled with the beef or mutton, 
say twice or thrice a week. Veal, and especially pork, must 
be most rigidly avoided, their extreme indigestibility hav- 
ing been proved by actual experiment. Oysters are the only 
kind of shell fish that can be permitted during strict training. 
Of vegetables, potatoes of course will be the chief ; next 
comes the flowery part of freshly cut cauliflower, and occa- 
sionally young carrots or asparagus when in season. Tur- 
nips should be avoided, and also cabbage, without it be 
young and freshly cut. With a little plain pudding or fruit 
tart, dinner will now be completed. Water must as yet be 
the only beverage ; but a few years later a single glass of 
bitter beer may be allowed. The meats must not be over- 
cooked, but the vegetables should be thoroughly well done. It 
may here be pointed out that all the articles we have just 
mentioned have their several uses in the human economy. 
It is not sufficient merely to supply the body with the mus- 
cle-making meats, but a proportion of starchy matter, chiefly 
bread and potato, is requisite to furnish fat, — a certain 
amount of which is necessary, — whilst articles containing 
carbon and hydrogen, such as the vegetables generally, and 
the fat of meats, are required for consumption in the liver to 
enable that organ to assist the action of the lungs in main- 
taining the heat of the body. Tea, with bread and butter, 
and a little fish if desired, will be taken as soon as business 
is over, which we presume will be by six o'clock. 

" Of course, any rule laid down as to the amount of liquid 
and solid food to be taken during the day will vary some- 
what with each individual. Writers are tolerably unanimous 



92 CYCLING. 

as to the amount of solids, but vary considerably as to 
liquids, giving the daily amount of solids as from 40 to 45 
ounces, while in liquids the range is from 60 to 95. We 
think the latter far too much. The solids will be divided 
much according to the following diet table : 

Meat (cooked and free from bone) - 10 to 12 oz. 

(equal to 13 or 15 of the uncooked joint) 

Bread ------ 16 

Potatoes (or Cauliflower 12) - - 10 
Pudding or Pastry - - - 6 

" Of fluids we ourselves take the following quantities : 

Coffee and Milk at Breakfast - about 18 oz. 
Water at Dinner and Supper - " 22 

Tea ------ "10 

and we scarcely ever drink between meals, except after a 
ride or other strong exercise. Under the old system of 
training, whereby too large a proportion of meat was eaten, 
an eruption of boils, or even carbuncles, was very frequent ; 
butchers, who live largely on meat, also suffer from the same 
evils. 

" After tea comes the principal active exercise of the day, 
then a supper of cold meat and bread, and to bed soon after 
ten. This routine will be varied by additional active exer- 
cise on Saturday afternoons and other holidays. 

"In going through this regime, we have, as occasion 
occurred, indicated various matters to be avoided. There 
are, however, two of great importance not yet mentioned. 
These are, the use of stimulants and tobacco smoking. We 
have simply to say of both that they are to be utterly 
avoided. 'Touch not, taste not, handle not.' We object 
to the smallest quantity of either. So much has been 



TRAINING. 93 

written on the evil effects of stimulants by the leading men 
of the profession ; they have all denounced them so utterly 
and completely that nothing - remains to be said here, except 
that practical experience thoroughly indorses their view. 
Do not take even a glass of beer at dinner ; it does not 
quench the thirst equally with water, and at this period will 
not serve a single good purpose. As to tobacco, it is a 
deadly poison, somewhat similar in its action to opium, and 
quite as powerful. Twenty grains of ordinary tobacco 
infused in boiling water, or a single drop of the essential oil, 
would in most cases prove fatal. Nearly every smoker can 
tell you the effects of his first pipe. In most cases they 
were : nausea, perhaps vomiting, or even fainting — fatal 
fainting has resulted from smoking tobacco. It is true that 
by repetition the body acquires a certain amount of tolerance 
for this poison, as it does of others, opium and arsenic to wit ; 
but although the symptoms above-mentioned may no longer 
be observed in their intensity, its persistent evil effects are 
undoubted, especially on the young. It produces relaxation 
of the mucous membrane of the stomach, diminishes the 
appetite, and causes atonic dyspepsia ; it depresses the ner- 
vous energy, enfeebles the heart's action, and produces flac- 
cidity and want of tone in the muscles. This effect, in more 
advanced life, sometimes goes on— if the practice be con- 
tinued in excess — till what is termed ' shaking palsy ' results. 
The eyesight is weakened, and this is believed to be the 
reason why so many Germans are compelled to wear glasses 
quite early in life. The Prussian government, anxious that 
all its subjects should be able to discharge the duties of 
a soldier, and recognizing the pernicious effects of early 
smoking, have, within the last few years, made it penal for 
any one under seventeen years of age to indulge in the prac- 
tice. Other important functions are materially impeded, and 
we feel confident that many of the pale-faced, weakly-looking 



94 CYCLING. 

youths, to be seen in such numbers about the streets of Lon- 
don, owe their effeminacy largely to this habit. These state- 
ments are not contravened by the fact that tobacco is occa- 
sionally useful. All the poisonous medicines are so when 
employed under suitable circumstances, and in proper quan- 
tities. In more advanced life its sedative or soothing effect 
on the nervous system, when used in small quantities, as in 
the form of a pipe after dinner or before going to bed, is 
often exceedingly advantageous. 

" The object at which we have hitherto been aiming has 
been to bring the body with all its organs to a state of vig- 
orous, robust health, and fit it for the endurance of active 
exercise and fatigue. Any man who, by the regimen we 
have recommended, or by means analogous thereto, has ar- 
rived at this point, is now in a position to commence the 
final stage of training, or what many will consider as train- 
ing proper, provided he has reached a suitable age and pos- 
sesses no constitutional impediment. It would be folly for 
anyone with diseased heart or lungs to attempt active train- 
ing; the affected organ would break down, and the result 
would probably be very disastrous. Any one having the 
slightest doubt as to the perfect soundness of either of these 
organs should have their condition carefully examined by a 
medical man, and be guided by his opinion. Again, no one 
should attempt active training till he has well completed 
his 19th year; although the heart and lungs may be fairly 
healthy, the strain upon them may easily at an earlier age 
be more than they can bear. 

" These conditions then being premised, that is to say, the 
young adult possessing a good constitution and healthy body, 
already properly exercised or trained for endurance, he is in 
a position to proceed to the development of special powers 
in individual organs. 

" Commencing as before with the general regimen and 



TRAINING. 95 

diet, these will continue much the same as in the first stage. 
The hours for rising, going to bed, and meals, will not re- 
quire to be altered, nor have we anything to change in what 
was said about the morning bath and exercise. Even in 
the dietary, the only meal requiring any alteration is the 
dinner, and that very slight; poultry or fish had perhaps 
better be intermingled with beef or mutton on rarer occa- 
sions. His drink at meal times will still be water, but the 
additional exercise and consequent perspiration will probably 
produce thirst ; sometimes indeed this is caused to an extent 
which is painful, especially as old-fashioned trainers sternly 
refuse to allow the smallest quantity of any liquid to be taken 
to quench it. This utter restriction is unnatural and absurd, 
although, on the other hand, it is certainly advisable to re- 
frain from taking more liquid than is absolutely necessary. 
The best drink under these circumstances is cold tea, with- 
out milk or sugar. About this, there cannot be the slightest 
doubt ; every description of fluid has been tried, and nothing 
stands the test equal to this. Its action can be much assisted, 
and the quantity to be swallowed diminished, by merely 
rinsing the mouth and bathing the face and hands with cold 
water. 

" His exercise must now be taken as much as possible on 
his bicycle, and this, machine should be of the same make 
and resemble as closely as possible in height and build the 
one on which he intends racing ; especially is it important to 
have the throw of the crank exactly the same in both road- 
ster and racer, as the feet are thereby accustomed to work 
in the same circle, follow the treadle more accurately, and 
are much less likely to slip off the pedal when going at full 
speed. 

" Having procured his machines, he should commence 
riding not later than the middle of March, and with toler- 
able weather he will be in good condition for racing by May. 



CYCLING. 



He should take a short, sharp run each evening of the week, 
with a longer ride on Saturday afternoons, increasing these 
as his condition improves so as to arrive home moderately- 
tired, but by no means exhausted. He will then enjoy his 
supper, and drop into a sound and refreshing sleep as soon 
as his head touches the pillow, whereas exhaustion will de- 
prive him of both appetite and sleep. During these runs he 
should occasionally indulge in sharp bursts on the level to 
improve his speed and up hills to improve his wind. In 
riding hills, however, he should always take care not to 
commence his sprint until he is certain that he can keep 
it up quite to the top, and a little over. As a matter of 
course, he will at first find himself blown comparatively 
soon, for he must remember that the first stage of train- 
ing has given him endurance rather than speed, and has 
only moderately exercised his lungs. In increasing this 
exercise he must still adhere to moderation in the begin- 
ning, and not run himself out of wind, or till a fit of 
coughing is produced. We have often seen cases where this 
latter has been a most distressing symptom in the earlier 
stages of training when entered on too energetically, and 
have ourselves experienced it. He will soon find himself 
able to take quicker and longer spurts, and that the feeling 
of being blown, when it comes on, more quickly subsides. 
After about six weeks of this road work he will be ready to 
complete his training by a little practice on the track. Here 
he must not be disappointed if, during the first two or three 
spins he finds that he can neither make the pace so fast, nor 
keep it up so long as he expected ; but every day he will 
improve in both respects. 

" Beginning with short spurts of a quarter of a mile or less, 
and gradually increasing, he will in a fortnight or two weeks 
find himself able to do a mile in fairly good time ; these 
runs should be taken in the company of other, and if possi- 



TRAINING. 97 

ble, better men. By this time he will probably wish to try 
his powers in a race, and as one mile is the most usual dis- 
tance selected, we will take that as a standard from which 
to base our remarks, and he will find the following hints 
useful in assisting him to make the best of his capabilities. 
Let us for convenience' sake suppose that he can do a 
mile in 3mins. 8secs., which is an average of 47secs. for each 
quarter. Most inexperienced novices would probably start 
off at topmost speed, and doing the first quarter in — say 
45secs. — the next in 46secs., and the third in 48secs., come 
home at a very slow pace in 49secs. for the last quarter, 
feeling completely run out, and possibly disheartened in con- 
sequence, especially if he had a considerable lead in the 
early part of the race and had flattered himself with an 
almost certain win, only to be beaten in the run home and 
not able at the finish to make the semblance of a struggle 
for victory. Instead of this our friend should endeavor to 
regulate his speed, so that each quarter-mile should be a 
shade quicker than the one preceding it, when he will be 
able to keep a reserve of strength sufficient to enable him to 
make a gallant fight with, and possibly beat off any short 
start men who may have caught him up. Of course, this is 
not a hard and fast rule to be blindly followed in every race, 
but it will be found a good plan to practice in training and 
to commence with ; and he may reasonably anticipate that 
every week will see him diminishing the time for each of the 
three earlier quarters. When he can, still adhering to this 
principle, accomplish the first quarter-mile in 46secs, the 
second and third each in 45, and the final in 44 or less, we 
may leave Iiirn to his own devices for making further 
improvement at this distance, For longer distances he 
should act on the same principle, that is to say, commence 
with and keep up a steady regular pace, just within his 
powers, and endeavor to do each of the earlier miles as 



98 CYCLING. 

nearly as possible in the same time, making the last mile the 
fastest one in the race. In these longer races he will find 
the advantage of sticking just behind a man going about the 
same pace as himself. It is a singular fact, very well recog- 
nized but not easily accounted for, that this makes going in- 
finitely easier, and saves a man immensely for the finish, 
whilst on the contrary having no one to take him makes the 
work much harder. He must take care that his driving- 
wheel is outside the hind wheel of the man in front, so that 
if the latter suddenly slows he may have room to turn out 
and avoid a collision. Many accidents have happened 
through neglecting this precaution. During the greater part 
of his first season it would be better to confine his attention to 
races not exceeding three or five miles in length. Frequent 
short races with constant well regulated practice will develop 
the powers to the utmost, give experience, and improve 
the judgment of pace, etc., without running the risk of 
overtaxing the strength, and producing staleness. Such 
severe races as the twenty-five or fifty mile championships 
should never be competed for till after the completion of the 
twenty-first year, when his frame will be approaching its full 
development. Before this age the strain on the constitution 
would be too great. 

" After every practice the rubbing dry with a rough towel 
is most essential, and between the heats of a race sufficient 
warm clothing must be worn to prevent a chill. It is good 
policy to do no active work on the day before a race, to avoid 
all possibility of arriving at the post in anything like a jaded 
condition. A few words as to the taking of food on the day of 
the race may be useful. The usual breakfast will of course 
be taken, but the mid-day meal should be timed to take place 
as near as may be two or three hours before the race. 
This will secure a double advantage ;— the stomach takes 
about two hours to perform its part in digesting a tolerably 



TRAINING. 99 

full meal, at the end of which time it has passed it along to 
the adjoining portion of the digestive apparatus. During 
these two hours the body is not in a fit condition for active 
exercise, but at this stage the nutrient principles of the 
digested food begin to be poured into the blood, to be by it 
conveyed to the various parts of the body to replace the waste 
of tissues constantly going on, and of course most actively 
during severe exercise. It will be readily understood that if 
the last food has been taken so long before the race that its 
digestion is completed, nothing will be left to supply this 
waste, and the consequence will be .exhaustion and loss of 
power. A fairly good meal should therefore be taken about 
two hours (not less) before commencing to race. These 
remarks apply equally to practice. During an ordinary after- 
noon's racing of three or four heats, additional food will not 
be requisite ; or, if the contrary be experienced, it must only 
be taken in small quantities, as a meat sandwich before the 
last heat. Should the racing, however, be prolonged, some- 
thing more may be desirable, and the best form for this will 
be a fresh egg beaten up with a tablespoonful of brandy and 
a little water ; but this must only be taken either immediately 
before the last heat if there are several, or toward the ex- 
treme finish of a race if it be a long one. The reason for 
this is that food taken in this form begins to be absorbed 
into the system immediately on entering the stomach, and at 
once produces its effect on the body. The immediate effect 
of the brandy is to revive and stimulate the exhausted pow- 
ers, but this reviving effect only continues for a very short 
time, certainly less than half an hour, after which reaction 
takes place with a positive increase of exhaustion, corre- 
sponding to the previous temporary revival. It too often 
happens that an attempt is made to relieve this exhaustion 
by again applying to the stimulant, but it will be found that 
at each repetition the good effect rapidly diminishes, whilst 



ioo CYCLING. 

the resulting exhaustion as rapidly increases. The reason, 
therefore, for taking only a single dose of the stimulant, and 
that within half an hour of the termination of the day's work, 
becomes self evident. After a long race (25 or 50 miles), the 
rub down should be more thoroughly performed, and a good 
but not too hearty meal should be taken, consisting of a good 
sized mutton chop or corresponding piece of rump steak 
with bread, and half a pint of bitter beer, and then to bed. 
The result will probably be nine or ten hours' refreshing 
sleep, which, with the following morning's bath, will remove 
all trace of extra exertion. 

" Certain ideas more or less vague have been engendered 
in the public mind as to the dangers incurred by athletes 
from their exercises. We have sometimes seen in the jour- 
nals accounts which would lead the reader to think that 
nearly every one practicing these exercises must eventually be 
brought to an early grave by disease, especially of the heart. 
It will be seen that we have spoken of them as resulting, not 
from training, but from over-exertion. As a matter of fact 
they usually result from want of training, — at any rate of 
judicious training, — from rushing too quickly into violent 
exercise without proper preparation. A man may be fit 
enough for all ordinary purposes of calm and quiet life, his 
daily walk to the city, or an occasional run to catch a train, 
but yet the organs we have just described may be wholly 
unable to resist any extra strain. The fibers of the heart 
and vessels are comparatively soft, flabby, and easily dilated 
or ruptured ; the chest has never been properly expanded, 
and therefore cannot accommodate itself to the increased 
call upon the lungs, and allow them room for extra play. 
Now will be understood the importance of the directions in 
our earlier pages that ample time should be given to the proc- 
ess of training, and that it should proceed slowly, espe- 
cially in its early stages. It is evident that change from soft 



TRAINING. ioi 

and more or less fatty tissue into dense, firm, muscular fiber 
cannot take place in a day, nor yet can the chest be ex- 
panded in a similar space of time ; but give nature the op- 
portunity and assistance we have indicated from the com- 
mencement, and it will be found that her powers are vast, 
and that she will seldom fail to so accommodate her organs 
to their extra work, as not only to deprive athletic exercises 
of their dangers, but make them actually subservient to 
increased health and longevity." 



CORRECT PEDALING. 



THE pedal is the point at which the energy of 
the rider is transmitted to the cycle, and so 
forms the chief connecting link between cyclist 
and wheel. The degree of perfection with which 
the connection is made goes far to determine the 
whole character of one's riding, especially on the 
ordinary bicycle. The connection between foot 
and pedal becomes effectual in the action of pedal- 
ing, and the art of correct or scientific pedaling is 
in itself essentially the art of cycle riding. 

The importance of a perfect connection between 
foot and pedal appears in every function exercised 
by the pedals in the propulsion of the wheel. On 
the simple revolution of the pedals depends the 
propulsion of the machine ; on the degree of rap- 
idity with which they are revolved depends the 
rate of speed ; on evenness of pressure depends 
steadiness in riding and ability to steer without 
use of hands; on continuance of pressure by 
means of good ankle action throughout the larger 
part of each revolution depends economy of 
energy, uniformity of motion, freedom from skid- 

102 



CORRECT PEDALING. 103 

ding on hills and hill climbing power; on skill 
in back-pedaling depends the degree of control 
that can be acquired independent of the brake ; 
on proper application of power at bad places de- 
pends facility in taking them easily, steadily, and 
quickly; on carrying sufficient weight on the 
pedals depends firmness in proper position, and 
freedom from vertical vibration ; all these com- 
bined go to make up the art of pedaling which, 
when acquired, makes all riding easy and pleasant 
and the ordinary bicycle as safe as any type of 
cycle. 

Correct form in pedaling depends upon the foot 
being able to secure a firm hold of the pedal at 
the lowest point of its revolution, and on an ankle 
action which gives the foot a grip of the pedal 
throughout the larger part of each revolution. 
From this it follows that the essential features or 
conditions of scientific pedaling are correct reach 
and perfect ankle action ; and the advantages 
gained from it are a firm connection between rider 
and machine which make them seem as one ; a 
complete control of the wheel, insuring comfort 
and safety ; economy in the expenditure of power, 
by securing maximum results from minimum ex- 
ertion ; the practical removal of that old-time bug- 
bear "dead centers"; and good form in riding. 
The importance of good pedaling to all cyclists 
is very great indeed, while to the rider of the 



104 CYCLING. 

ordinary, in particular, it can hardly be over esti- 
mated. 

The adoption of one feature of ankle action, 
however, has sometimes been urged for a very 
foolish purpose, viz. : to enable a person to ride 
the largest wheel on which he could manage to 
touch the pedals, it being argued that by depress- 
ing the toe a longer reach could be secured. It 
is true that in this way at least a size larger than 
a proper fit can be ridden ; but the simple verti- 
cal depression of the toe which secures it is not 
complete ankle action by any means. Even if 
one went through all the motions of perfect ankle 
action, when riding with an over-long reach, they 
would be ineffective; because, just as soon as the 
reach begins to get a trifle over-long, the ability 
to claw the pedal down and backward begins to 
decrease, and it becomes very difficult to obtain 
the objects in view. If the reach is much too 
long, it is impossible to secure effective action. 

Though the tendency to ride over-large ordi- 
naries has perceptibly decreased, the synonymous 
error of using over-high gears on safeties is very 
popular with many, though precisely as objectiona- 
ble, the reasons for which are given in the chapter 
on Speed and Gearing. Moreover, the disadvant- 
ages of an over-long reach are many and serious, 
and are absolutely fatal to the complete mastery 
of the ordinary. As elsewhere remarked, one 



CORRECT PEDALING. 105 

reason why the safety has so largely displaced the 
ordinary is that most riders of the high wheel 
have had machines too large for them, and so 
never acquired perfect control of them, while those 
who had a proper reach seldom attempted to ac- 
quire good ankle motion and so rarely became 
masters of their wheels. 

It is not necessary to consider again the import- 
ance of securing a proper leg reach on any and 
every type of wheel, nor to dwell upon the advant- 
ages of doing so. It is only necessary now to 
call attention to the fact that the vital importance 
of a sufficiently short reach will again appear in 
the consideration of ankle action, in which art it 
is an essential feature. 

The saddle of a safety or tricycle being set at 
the proper height, or an ordinary of the right size 
being secured, ankle action is to be learned for 
the two-fold purpose of mastering the machine, 
and of enabling the rider to apply power to each 
pedal throughout the larger part of its revolution. 
To simplify the explanation, the following illus- 
tration should be studied. 

In the action of pedaling, each foot describes 
a complete circle. In the following illustration let 
the radii, OA, OB, OC, etc, represent a crank at 
different points of its revolution ; and suppose 
the rider to be seated nearly vertically above his 
work. Now, the simplest form of pedaling — that 



io6 



CYCLING. 



which every one naturally adopts, is a straight 
downward thrust, in the direction of the line 
AOE ; that is to say, the natural tendency in ped- 
aling is for the rider to exert pressure only in . 
a purely vertical direction. Thus, suppose one 
crank to be at the highest point A, and the other 
crank at the lowest point E, and the pressure on 




them to be wholly vertical ; in this condition no 
amount of exertion will move the wheel forward, 
the power being, as was said, exerted wholly 
vertically, and the cranks remain on the "dead 
center." When a machine, however, once gets 
the impetus of a start, the momentum imparted by 
every stroke upon the pedals, be the pressure 



CORRECT PEDALING. 107 

never so vertical, is sufficient to carry the crank 
beyond the dead center. 

Riding upon the level thus becomes quite 
simple, even though the rider's thrust upon his 
pedals is directly vertical ; but let him ride up a 
grade, and a new effect is at once experienced. 
As the incline becomes steeper, each thrust upon 
the pedals sends the machine forward a shorter 
distance, and presently it becomes very difficult 
to press the cranks over the dead center. The 
machine moves very slowly as the dead center is 
being passed, and when passed the rider exerts 
all his power to gain fresh headway with which 
to overcome its recurrence. But instead of 
responding to the effort, and moving quickly for- 
ward, the wheel, if the hill be steep, will only 
slide around without advancing much, and the 
rider will be compelled to dismount after an at- 
tempt or two of this sort, as equilibrium cannot 
long be maintained under such conditions. It is 
thus obvious that a purely vertical pedal action 
leaves one to a considerable degree at the mercy 
of the "dead center" (which consequently has 
become a bugbear to many), and also puts one at 
a great disadvantage in hill climbing. 

Consult the illustration again, and it will appear 
that as soon as the cranks pass the dead center 
(points A and E)> the upper one begins to descend 
very slightly, and, continuing its descent, passes 



108 CYCLING. 

not far from a vertical line in describing the 
curve BCD, while from D to E the curve again 
rapidly approaches the horizontal. Now, notice 
the different portions of the curve ABCDE. 
Immediately on passing A, a purely vertical pres- 
sure on the pedal will have a trifling effect, which 
effect will increase as the first segment is passed, 
and it will reach its maximum at the point C at 
the end of the second segment. From there on 
to D, the effective power decreases slowly, and 
from D to E more rapidly, so that on reaching E 
the dead center is again reached. With vertical 
pressure, much power is wasted while the crank 
is passing through segments I and 4, the power 
not then being applied at right angles to the end 
of the crank; but, in passing through segments 
2 and 3 the pressure applied is most effective, 
as it is applied through these two segments 
nearly at right angles, though only at the point 
C is it absolutely at one. 

Moreover, in pedaling vertically the pressure 
is not usually applied to the pedal until it has 
passed a greater or less distance beyond the point 
A, and it also decreases very rapidly after passing 
the point D, because nearly all riders have too 
long a reach, and if the reach is much too long 
the foot ceases to exert any appreciable pressure 
at some distance before the point E is reached. 
Under such circumstances, power is utilized in 



CORRECT PEDALING. 109 

only about three segments, say from midway 
between A and B to nearly midway between D 
and E. The pedal action, instead of being even, 
steady, and harmonious, consists of a series of 
thrusts, or jerky strokes ; momentum is necessarily 
relied on to pass the dead center, and to carry the 
machine overbad spots; much power is wasted ; 
hill climbing is difficult and wearisome, and com- 
plete control of the wheel is impossible. 

These considerations show plainly the great 
disadvantages under which a rider would labor 
if he could exert pressure on his pedals only in 
a strictly vertical direction, especially when his 
reach was so long that all effective pressure ceased 
soon after passing the point D. As he would 
thus apply power to the pedal in but little more 
than three segments of the eight (shown in the 
circle described by the crank) in our illustration, 
each pedal would be doing work only through 
about one hundred and sixty (160) degrees, or the 
two pedals through three hundred and twenty 
(320) degrees, leaving forty (40) degrees, or one- 
ninth of a complete revolution, in which no work 
is done. If so unfavorable a result were necessary 
as a result of using a crank, the cycle would be 
shorn of half its pleasure and possibilities; but 
fortunately it is not. The case, however, just 
supposed, if it appears to any to be something of 
an extreme one, is not nearly so exceptional as 



HO CYCLING, 

one might imagine. The number of riders who 
pedal vertically only is very large, and many who 
pose as good riders have miserable ankle action. 

Between a straight vertical action and a per- 
fect ankle action very many degrees of proficiency 
are possible, and examples of all of them may be 
seen practically illustrated on the road wherever 
wheelmen ride. Next to the simple vertical thrust 
comes the action in which the toe is slightly 
depressed below the level of the heel as the 
crank passes from D to E. This is usually done 
because the reach is so long that the pedal can be 
followed only in that way, and not from any idea 
of good ankle action. Or, perhaps, instead of 
this, the rider drops his heel a very little after the 
crank passes J, and approaches A, and so exerts 
a slight pressure in the early part of the revolu- 
tion. He may even, if practical and experienced, 
combine these two points, and drop his heel a 
trifle at the beginning of each stroke, and depress 
his toe slightly toward its close. If he does both 
of these things, he may possibly exert some pres- 
sure through one hundred and eighty (180) degrees, 
or one-half of the circle {A to £), with each pedal. 
In this case there is a perceptible gain in every 
revolution over the case of purely vertical action. 
This degree of proficiency is even more than the 
average wheelman seems to exhibit, not because 
there is any serious difficulty in the way of acquir- 



CORRECT PEDALING. HI 

ing much greater proficiency, but largely because 
he has never learned of the possibilities and 
advantages of anything else. 

It has now been shown that poor pedaling 
permits the efficient application of power through 
considerably less than one-half the revolution 
of each pedal, and that fair pedaling insures its 
application through just about one-half. It fol- 
lows that good pedaling will enable the rider to 
apply his power through something over one-half 
of each revolution, and perfect pedaling to do so 
to even a still greater extent. 

The method of applying power properly has 
been hinted at above. As the pedal, in ascend- 
ing, passes the point I (see illustration) the heel 
is to be depressed as far as possible below the 
pedal, of course keeping the toe firmly in its posi- 
tion. This will enable the rider to apply his force 
early in the revolution, and also more nearly at 
right angles to the end of the crank, which is the 
direction in which it is most effective. If the 
heel is well depressed as soon as possible after 
passing the point /, it will be practicable to 
apply pressure to the pedal in a forward direction 
before the point A is reached. At first, the 
amount of pressure that can be applied back of 
the highest point of the stroke (behind the point 
A) will be very small and the distance back of 
that point at which it can be applied will be in- 



H2 CYCLING. 

significant ; but, with careful and persistent prac- 
tice, the ankle will adapt itself to the motion, 
and the application of effective force to the pedal 
can be begun even as far back as the point J y 
which is twenty degrees back of the vertical. 

Bearing in mind that force is most effective 
when applied at right angles to the end of the 
crank, it is very important in pedaling to always 
apply the' power as nearly as possible at this 
angle, and then to apply it through as great a por- 
tion of each revolution as possible. With a verti- 
cal action, power is applied at right angles to the 
end of the crank only at the point C. If, how- 
ever, the heel is dropped early in the stroke (say 
at about the point /) some power can be applied 
as the point J is passed, and from A down to E it 
can be applied very nearly at right angles. To 
do this properly, the heel must be slowly raised as 
the point A is passed and the crank begins its 
descent toward B, and it must continue to rise 
uniformly as the crank descends to C, so that 
when that point is reached the heel will be nearly 
on the level of the toe. Continuing thence to D 
the toe is to be depressed slightly below the level 
of the heel, in order to continue the pressure at 
right angles, and from D to E to be depressed 
still more, and from E backwards to be depressed 
as much as the ankle permits, in order to main- 
tain a pressure back as far as possible. After con- 



CORRECT PEDALING. 1 13 

siderable practice, it will be found practicable to 
maintain some pressure past the point E, even as 
far as F, which is twenty degrees back of the ver- 
tical. As the pedal rises from F past G and H the 
heel again drops to the level of the toe so that, as 
/ is passed, it is ready to drop and again repeat 
its duties. 

It will be noticed at once that this process 
keeps heel and toe constantly changing their rela- 
tive positions and allows them to be on a level, or 
at what may be called their most natural position, 
only on passing the points C and H. The duty 
of keeping them up to this work falls upon the 
ankle, so that on the perfection of ankle action 
depends effectiveness in pedaling. It is some- 
what tiresome at first to keep the ankle at such 
continuous work; but it soon becomes almost as 
natural as steering, though some attention should 
be constantly given to it, as continual improve- 
ment in it is practicable. The results attainable 
are worth much more than the trouble of learn- 
ing — if trouble it is to seek to acquire skill in what 
one undertakes, and especially in a pastime in 
which pleasure and profit are directly dependent 
upon skill. 

By acquiring good ankle motion, instead of ex- 
erting pressure with each foot through only one 
hundred and fifty to one hundred and eighty de- 
grees, it becomes possible to apply power through 



H4 CYCLING. 

two hundred to two hundred and twenty degrees, 
and it also applies the power more effectively 
throughout the whole distance. Before passing 
the dead center line A OE, the dropped heel allows 
considerable power to be applied to the upper 
crank, in pushing it forward past that line, while 
the depressed toe of the other foot makes it easy 
to apply considerable power to the lower crank 
in pushing it backwards; consequently, the dead 
center is practically annihilated. Scott, in his 
valuable work, tells how he measured the power 
he applied at the dead center point and found 
thirty pounds applied on each pedal. Thus, at the 
point where a rider with poor ankle action is ex- 
erting no effective pressure, the one with good 
action is doing important and effective work with 
both ankles. 

The square rubbers generally fitted to pedals 
give a good hold to the foot, especially if rubber 
soled shoes are worn, and with them perfectly 
satisfactory results may be obtained if the direc- 
tions here given regarding reach and ankle action 
are followed. If any person, however, wishes to 
secure some mechanical aid to assist him in his 
grip of the pedal, he can, for a small sum, secure 
"toe clips." These simple little contrivances are 
made of light metal to attach to the front of the 
pedal and curve back a short distance over the toe, 
thus preventing slipping the pedal, and enabling 



CORRECT PEDALING. 115 

some riders to continue their pressure through 
a greater number of degrees than they otherwise 
could. Another means is to use rat trap pedals, 
and have a pair of shoes fitted with grooves on 
the soles to set over the two rows of teeth. For 
this purpose, do not buy shoes already prepared, 
as very probably the position and angle of 
the grooves on the soles will not be suitable for 
you. Put on the shoes you wish to have fitted, 
and ride with them several miles. There will 
then be two rows of slight indentations on each 
sole in your natural riding position, made by the 
teeth of the pedals. Take the shoes to a shoe- 
maker, and have him carefully fit three pieces to 
each sole — one piece between the two rows of 
indentations, one piece in front of the forward 
row, and one back of the rear row. There will 
then be on each sole two grooves which will just 
fit the pedals, and will prove of some mechanical 
aid. 

It is better, however, to assiduously cultivate a 
good ankle action than to rely upon any unnec- 
essary extraneous aids. They are not always at 
hand, and their absence easily comes to cause dis- 
comfort. On the other hand, skill once acquired 
is always available, and in the long run is much 
more desirable. 



SPEED AND GEARING. 



ON an ordinary bicycle the pedals and driving 
wheel revolve at the same rate, no matter 
how fast or slow the speed of the machine may 
be — that is, one revolution of the pedals produces 
exactly one complete revolution of the driving 
wheel. This uniformity of revolution of the 
pedals and driving wheel is meant by the expres- 
sion to run level. 



On any chain-driven cycle, -the pedals and driv- 
ing wheel may revolve at the same rate, or they 
may revolve at very different rates. The ability 
to revolve at different rates of speed is due to the 
use of a chain. The relation of the rapidity of 
revolution of the pedals to the rapidity of revolu- 
tion of the driving wheel is called the gearing. 



On chain-driven cycles, a small toothed wheel, 
called a sprocket-wheel, is firmly attached to the 
crank axle, and a corresponding one to the driv- 
ing wheel axle. The chain runs over these two 

116 



SPEED AND GEARING. 1 17 

wheels, and by them transmits the power from 
the pedals and cranks to the driving wheel. 



When the two sprocket-wheels are of the same 
size (have the same number of teeth on them) 
the pedals and the driving wheel revolve at the 
same rate ; that is, one revolution of the pedals 
causes .exactly one revolution of the driving 
wheel; and the machine is said to be geared 
level. 



When the sprocket-wheel on the crank axle is 
smaller (has fewer teeth than the other), one com- 
plete revolution of it does not turn the other 
sprocket-wheel all the way round, but acts upon 
as many of its teeth as there are teeth on the 
crank axle sprocket-wheel ; consequently, one rev- 
olution (by means of the pedals) of the crank 
axle sprocket-wheel causes the driving wheel to 
make something less than one complete revolu- 
tion, and the machine is said to be geared down. 



When the sprocket-wheel on the crank axle is 
larger (has more teeth than the other), a com- 
plete revolution of it turns the other sprocket- 
wheel all the way round once, and also an addi- 
tional distance represented by the increased num- 



n8 CYCLING. 

ber of teeth on the crank axle sprocket-wheel ; 
consequently, one revolution (by means of the 
pedals) of the crank axle sprocket-wheel causes 
the driving wheel to make something more than 
one complete revolution, and the machine is said 
to be geared up. 



Each tooth added to the crank axle sprocket- 
wheel, over and above the number of teeth on the 
sprocket-wheel of the driver, gears up the machine 
a certain small amount. A sprocket-wheel may 
be of almost any size ; consequently, any gearing 
desired may be secured ; that is, by obtaining a 
combination of sprocket-wheels of proper relative 
sizes, a chain-driven cycle may be so geared that 
one revolution of the pedals will turn the driving 
wheel one full revolution, and enough of a second 
revolution, to make the distance traveled by one 
revolution of the pedals equal to the distance 
traveled by a large wheel of any given size. 



Tricycles were at first mostly built with large 
driving wheels and were very heavy. They were 
generally geared down or level. Rear-driving 
safety bicycles are built with very small wheels ; 
they require but a single track; are mostly of 
comparatively light weight, and are always 
geared up. 



SPEED AND GEARING. 119 

On a chain-driven cycle, a small wheel, geared 
up, usually runs more easily than a large wheel 
geared level ; that is, a thirty to forty inch driving 
wheel, geared to fifty inches, runs more easily 
than a fifty inch driving wheel geared level. 



The speed attained by wheels of equal size, or 
equal gearing, depends entirely upon the rapidity 
of the revolution of the pedals. If, however, the 
wheels vary in size or in gearing, while the rate of 
pedaling be the same on all, a larger wheel or 
higher gear will go faster, and a smaller wheel or 
lower gear will go slower. It is thus plain that 
size and gearing affect the speed when the rate of 
pedaling remains uniform. For this reason it is 
commonly said that large wheels and high gears 
run faster than small wheels and low gears. 



The larger the wheel or the higher the gear, the 
greater the power required to propel it ; a given 
degree of rapid pedaling, easy on a medium 
wheel or equivalent gear, cannot be maintained on 
a larger wheel or higher gear without the expendi- 
ture of more power, and it can be maintained on 
a smaller wheel or lower gear with the expendi- 
ture of less power. It is thus plain that large 
wheels or high gears, and small wheels or low 



120 CYCLING. 

gears, require different expenditures of energy to 
propel them, when the rate of pedaling remains 
uniform. For this reason it is commonly said 
that small wheels and low gears give more power 
than large wheels and high gears. 



Owing to these facts that {the rate of pedaling 
remaining constant) a large wheel or high gear 
runs faster, and a small wheel or low gear runs 
with less expenditure of power, the term speed is 
generally associated with large wheels and high 
gears, and the term power with small wheels and 
low gears. On the race track, as large a wheel 
or high a gear as can be well controlled i^ an 
advantage; but for climbing steep hills a small 
wheel or low gear will enable the rider to go the 
greatest distance. The track and the hill are 
precisely the two cases in which large and small 
size, or high and low gear, show their respective 
advantages. But track and hill are extremes, 
upon either of which the greatest feats require 
specially geared machines. 



If a rider goes into training for racing, hill 
climbing, or other feat of endurance, he should, of 
course, pay particular attention to the size or 
gearing of his mount, as well as to its weight and 



SPEED AND GEARING. 121 

general adaptability to the special object sought ; 
but for ordinary road riding purposes, such as 
an enormous majority of cyclists indulge in, an 
ordinary must be secured of just the right fit, or 
a safety with a very moderate gearing, if the best 
results are to be obtained. To a certain limited 
extent, this principle can be. modified if a very 
light, chain-driven machine is used on level roads, 
in which case a slightly higher gear can be used ; 
but nearly all men (except very stout ones), espec- 
ially if not constantly taking vigorous exercise and 
very strong, can pedal with reasonable rapidity 
far more easily than they can exert great muscu- 
lar energy in applying power to the pedal — con- 
sequently, a moderately low gear is far better 
adapted to nearly all riders. 



If the diameter of an ordinary wheel of one of 
the usual sizes, say between 48 and 56 inches, or 
the gearing of a safety, be increased by one inch, 
the decrease in the number of pedal revolutions 
per mile is a little less than eight ; and if the size 
or gearing is decreased by one inch the number of 
revolutions per mile is increased by less than 
eight. The number of pedal revolutions per mile 
changes, one way or the other, by about eight 
for every change of one inch in the size of an 
ordinary, or gearing of a chain-driven wheel. 



122 CYCLING. 

In selecting a machine for ordinary road riding, 
there ought not to be a question of over about 
two inches as to what is the proper size or gearing. 
If there is any reasonable doubt, the smaller size 
or lower gearing should be taken. The additional 
eight pedal revolutions per mile for each inch 
lowered will never be felt in road riding ; and the 
muscular energy necessary for pedaling will be 
perceptibly less. When a twenty pound racer is 
ridden at a very high rate of speed (eighteen to 
twenty-two miles an hour) on a perfectly smooth 
track, a pretty large wheel or high gearing can be 
used without requiring too much power at each 
stroke, while the slightly slower pedal motion will 
be a relief ; but, on the road, with machines weigh- 
ing from thirty-five to fifty-five pounds, and a 
speed varying from seven to fifteen miles an hour, 
a high gearing tires the rider far more rapidly 
than does a slightly lower one, while the rapidity 
of pedal motion required to attain any speed up 
to fifteen miles an hour is much more easily 
acquired by nearly all riders than is the muscular 
development required to maintain the heavy work 
necessitated by a very high gearing. 



In order to find the number of inches to which 
a chain-driven cycle is geared (or, as is sometimes 



SPEED AND GEARING. 123 

said, speeded), divide the number of inches of 
the diameter of the driving wheel by the number 
of teeth on the sprocket-wheel of its own axle ; 
this will give the number of inches of the diame- 
ter of the driving wheel which each tooth on its 
sprocket-wheel represents ; or, in other words, the 
value in inches of each tooth. Then, multiply 
the value of a tooth by the total number of the 
teeth on the crank axle sprocket-wheel, and the 
result will be the number of inches to which the 
wheel is geared. 

If D— Diameter of driving wheel in inches. 
T— Number of teeth on driving wheel axle. 
A = Number of teeth on crank axle. 
G = Gearing. 

Then 

D 

— XA=.G. 
T 

Example : A machine has a thirty inch driver, 
ten teeth on driving axle, and eighteen teeth on 
crank axle. We then have f-jj-X 18 = 54, which is 
its gearing. 



The following table shows the number of revolu- 
tions per mile made by wheels of different sizes. 
Of course, on an ordinary bicycle the wheel revolu- 



124* CYCLING. 

tions and pedal revolutions are identical in num- 
ber; consequently, the figures opposite the size of 
an ordinary wheel give the number of both wheel 
and pedal revolutions. But, on chain-driven cy- 
cles the number of wheel revolutions and pedal 
revolutions never correspond (unless the machine 
is geared level, which is very seldom the case) ; 
consequently, the revolutions per mile of the 
wheel of a chain-driven cycle are found in the 
number opposite its size, and the revolutions per 
mile made by its pedals are found in the number 
opposite its gearing. On computing the gearing 
of chain-driven cycles, it will be found that round 
numbers do not always result, but that the exact 
figures frequently contain a fraction. As a mat- 
ter of fact this is true of large numbers of chain- 
driven machines, and is, of course, due to the rela- 
tive sizes of the three factors which determine 
the gearing (as shown in the preceding paragraph 
of this chapter), viz. : the driving wheel and the 
two sprocket-wheels. The various fractions 
which will appear in computing the gearing of 
different machines could not well be included in 
this table; but, as it contains all the usual sizes 
between eighteen and sixty, the number of pedal 
revolutions in any gearing between those figures 
can be found within a fraction of an inch, and the 
effect of that fraction can be readily estimated by 
examining the number of revolutions made by 



SPEED AND GEARING. 



125 



the next gearing, higher or lower, whichever comes 
nearest the fraction. 



18 inch 


1120.54 revolutions 46 inch 


438.54 


20 " 


1008.40 ' 


47 " 


429.26 


22 


916.66 


48 " 


420.18 


24 " 


840.36 


49 " 


411.59 


26 " 


77647 


50 " 


403.36 


28 " 


720.33 


51 ■ « 


395-5o 


30 " 


672.26 


52 " 


387.86 


32 " 


630.28 


53 " 


380.54 


34 " 


593-25 


54 " 


373-48 


36 « 


560.27 


55 " 


366.66 


38 " 


530.65 


56 " 


360.16 


40 " 


504.20 


57 " 


353-83 


42 " 


480.22 


58 « 


347-73 


44 " 


458.37 


59 " 


341.83 


45 " 


448.22 


60 " 


336.30 



The following table will enable any one to dis- 
cover the rate of speed at which he is riding at 
any particular time, without the use of a cyclo- 
meter; or, if he uses one, it can be tested by 
comparing the result obtained with the table, and 
the table at the same time verified. In order to 
find the rate of speed per hour being ridden, the 
rider must count accurately the number of revolu- 
tions made by one pedal in exactly one minute. 
Either pedal may be taken, and the count most 
conveniently made as that foot descends with 
each stroke. Care must be taken not to count 



126 CYCLING. 

the strokes of both pedals as each one causes but 
half a revolution of the wheel. The count should 
be made several times, as slight variations are likely 
to occur, and the average of the results taken. 
When the number is determined upon, look down 
the column of "Size of Wheel or of Gearing" 
until the figure representing the size of the 
ordinary, or gear of the chain-driven cycle, ridden 
is reached ; then, follow out the line opposite it 
until the number nearest to the count made is 
found. At the head of the vertical column which 
contains that number will be found the figure tell- 
ing how many miles are ridden in one hour, when 
the number of pedal revolutions indicated are 
made in one minute. It is self-evident that such 
a table cannot very well include all the fractions 
of inches in gearings (referred to in the previous 
paragraph of this chapter) ; nor the innumerable 
fractions of miles, some one of which is nearly 
always a part of a rider's exact speed. The table, 
however, includes every inch in size and gearing 
from forty to sixty inches, and every speed in miles 
from four to fifteen per hour. The table, there- 
fore, will enable any one to determine his speed 
within a fraction of a mile per hour at a glance. 
If greater accuracy than this is desired, the frac- 
tion of a mile may be estimated by comparing 
the two numbers on the proper horizontal line 
nearest to the count made and the proportion 



SPEED AND GEARING. 



127 



between them and the number of revolutions 
counted taken. When the gearing contains a frac- 
tion, as often happens, the number of revolutions 
for such gearing per minute may be easily deter- 
mined by taking the difference between the 
gearings immediately above and below it, and 
subtracting from the number of revolutions made 
by the lower one that fraction of the difference 
represented by the fraction in the gearing. The 
table, however, gives very close results without 
any extra figuring. 



_. ** 


Revolutions Per Minute when 


rRAVELiNG Per Hour. 


id 


8 


8 


8* 


8 


8 


8 


t 


8 


8 


8 


8 


8 


N O 


§ 


3 


§ 


% 


% 


S 


% 


s. 


S 


2 


§ 


S 


tn 


T 


>o 


VO 


t - 


00 


cy 





H 


M 


? 


-* 


I? 


40 in. 


33.6 


42 


50.4 


58.8 


67.2 


75-6 


84 


92.4 


IOO.8 


109.2 


117.6 


126 


41 


32.8 


41 


49.2 


57-4 


65.6 


73-8 


82 


90.2 


98.4 


106.6 


114.8 


123 


42 


32 


40 


48 


5b 


64 


72 


80 


88 


9b 


104 


112 


120 


43 


3i-3 


39-1 


46.9 54.8 


62.6 


70.4 


78.2 


8b 


93-9 


101.7 


109.5 


"7-3 


44 


30-5 


38.2 


45-853.4 


61 


68.7 


7°-3 


84 


91. b 


99.2 


106.8 


H4-5 


45 


29.9 


37-3 


44.852.3 


59-7 


67.2 


74. b 


82.1 


89. b 


97.1 


104.6 


112 


46 


29.3 


30. b 


43-951.2 


58.5 


65.8 


73-2 


80.5 


87.8 


95-i 


102.4 


IO9.8 


47 


28.6 


35.8 


42.9 50 


57-2 


64.4 


71.6 


78.7 


85.8 


92.9 


100. 1 


I07-3 


48 


28 


35 


42 149 


56 


63 


70 


77 


84 


9* 


98 


105 


49 


27.5 


34-3 


41.2,48 


55 


01.8 


b8.b 


75-5 


82.4 


89.2 


9b 


I03 


50 


26.9 


tt.0 


4Q.3'47 


53-7 


60.5 


b7.2 


73-9 


80.6 


87.4 


94 


IOO.8 


51 


26.4 


33 


39.646.2 


52.8 


59-4 


bb 


72.b 


79-2 


85.8 


92.4 


99 


52 


25-9 


32.3 


38.845.3 


51.7 


58.2 


b 4 .b 


71. 1 


77.6 


84 


90-5 


96.9 


53 


25-4 


31.8 


38 1 144-5 


50.8 


57-2 


63.5 


09.8 


76.2 


82.6 


88.9 


95-3 


54 


24.9 


li. 1 


37-3 43-6 


49.8 


5b 


b2.2 


08.5 


74-7 


80.9 


87.1 


93-4 


55 


24.4 


30-5 


36.642.7 


48.8 


55 


bi.i 


67.2 


73-3 


79-4 


85.5 


91.6 


56 


24 


30 


3 6 42 


48 


54 


bo 


6b 


72 


78 


84 


90 


57 


23.6 


29.5 


35-4 4I-3 


47.2 


53- 1 


59 


b4-9 


70.8 


76.7 


82.6 


88.5 


58 


23-2 


29 


34-840-5 


46.4 


52.2 


58 


b 3 .8 


69.6 


75-4 


81. 1 


86.9 


59 


22.8 


28.5 


34-2 39-9 


45-6 


5i.3 


57 


b2.7 


68.4 


74.1 


79-8 


85.5 


60 


22.4 


28 


33-6 39-2 


44.8 


50-4 


56 


bi.b 


67.2 


72.8 


78.4 


84 



CERTAIN CHARACTERISTIC 
FEATURES. 



WHEN a person decides to take up cycling it 
frequently happens that he, or she, has in 
view a certain type of machine which he intends 
to ride, and it may be that this early choice 
proves as good as one made later; but it often 
happens that the mount selected is not suited 
to the requirements of the user, and this may 
lead to disappointment and discouragement — 
sometimes even to entire abandonment of the 
pastime. 

When there were only two types — bicycles and 
tricycles — between which to choose, it was com- 
paratively easy to decide ; but now that an inter- 
mediate type has been added, and so many vari- 
eties of each type produced, a choice may not 
always be so simple a matter. It is necessary to 
decide upon the type of wheel ; whether you will 
have a full roadster or light roadster (which in- 
volves many fine points as to construction and 
128 



CERTAIN CHARACTERISTIC. FEATURES. 129 

the use to which it will be subjected), and, finally, 
the particular make. On this last point it is not 
proper to offer public advice, but the other points 
may be considered. Some of the matter in this 
chapter appeared in a contribution to The Wheel 
in September, 1889. 

The advantages in the way. of improved health, 
good appetite, vigorous digestion, sound sleep, 
and better tone to the system, which accrue to 
every one who cycles regularly, are gained by the 
use of any type of wheel, as they result from the 
character of the exercise itself. In cases where 
one person derives a marked benefit while another 
does not, the reason can almost invariably be 
found in the fact that the one rides regularly and 
the other spasmodically. The value of cycling as 
a health restorer and preserver has been proved 
over and over again to be irrespective of the type 
of wheel ridden. This fact should not be lost 
sight of in the discussion of the various features 
of different types. 

Remembering, then, that all types of cycles, to 
all intents and purposes, give the same health 
results, it may be interesting to inquire what 
advantages each type has to offer in the way of 
general utility, or of pleasure pure and simple, and 
whether any type offers a reasonable combination 
of these seeming extremes. 

For this purpose, cycles will be considered as 



13° CYCLING. 

practically divided into three classes, of which 
good types are the common forms of tricycle, 
safety bicycle, and ordinary bicycle. On examin- 
ing the characteristic features of each type we 
shall find good grounds for ascribing to it certain 
peculiar individual merits in which it excels the 
others; and supposing the argument to be correct, 
it will assist any one to decide what type is best 
fitted to his needs. 

Doubtless some will say that they ride for 
pleasure, but desire to combine utility with it. 
This is often true, and one class of wheels may 
unite more good points than does another class; 
but any possible overlapping of features is relative 
rather than absolute — that is, one may think that a 
certain type combines all good points (for his use), 
while another finds that the same type combines 
the points very imperfectly (for his use). There- 
fore, while every one must consider the personal 
equation in selecting a cycle, and seek that which 
seems to combine, for his particular needs, the 
largest number of good points, it is still true that 
each class possesses distinct features, so that one 
excels by providing the greatest utility, another 
the greatest pleasure, and a third one in giving a 
reasonably good combination of the two extremes. 
Though the tricycle does not now hold as high a 
place in the public esteem as formerly, it is a 
mount of such sterling merit that it deserves full 



CERTAIN CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES. 131 

recognition, and takes first place in this discussion 
as it does in the chapter on "Learning." 




THE TRICYCLE. 

The features of each type of machine which 
are to be commented on in this discussion are 
the comparative size of driving and steering 
wheels, and their relative positions, so far as these 
points bear upon the motion of the wheel and 
contribute to the pleasure of the rider; and, on 
the other hand, the liability of each type to acci- 
dent ; and general utility. 

The feature to be first observed in the tricycle 
is its two comparatively large driving wheels and 
its small steering wheel. (The recent tendency 
to more nearly equalize the diameter of the three 
wheels does not materially affect the argument.) 



132 CYCLING. 

Considerable weight is found in the forward frame 
and steering wheel, as is necessary. The rider's 
position is between drivers and steerer, and the 
bulk of the weight is carried so far forward that, 
when the machine is in motion, all this weight is 
pushed forward, so to speak, by the drivers. 
Moreover a small steering wheel, carrying a con- 
siderable share of the weight, and pushed ahead, 
has always more or less of a digging effect, and 
the machine, as a whole, does not move over the 
ground with quite the same sort of action as does 
one with its larger wheels in advance. The effect 
here noted is not ordinarily noticed by tricyclists 
who are not bicyclists as well, for a good tricycle 
does move over the ground with a smoothness of 
motion and life which are a revelation to the 
novice, and it is only when other types have been 
ridden for a time that the difference is perceived. 
Within reasonable limits it may be regarded as 
true that the larger the wheel the pleasanter the 
motion, and the less the vibration ; but, as a small 
wheel is stronger, lighter, and easier running than a 
large one, the tendency to build very small wheels, 
in contradistinction to the large ones formerly 
used, has been on the increase. The driving 
wheels of the tricycles which have been used in 
this country may be classed as large wheels, 
though as now made they are much smaller than 
the driver of an ordinary bicycle. Nevertheless, 



CERTAIN CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES. 133 

they have been large enough to secure a very- 
pleasant motion, though that motion is some- 
what modified in character by the necessity of 
pushing a steering wheel in front. 

Champions of the tricycle and safety will per- 
haps vie with each other in claiming the palm for 
their favorite mount on the score of utility. If 
all roads were like those of England, or even like 
those of the Oranges, it might be rash to say that 
the safety bicycle is a better wheel. On a good 
surface, a high-grade, light tricycle can be propelled 
with the greatest ease ; its carrying capacity is the 
highest ; it is the most convenient mount when 
frequent stops, without dismounting, are neces- 
sary or desirable, and it can be ridden with far 
less preparation and practice than a safety. For 
these reasons it is probably the most available 
and practical wheel where roads are fine. It 
ought, however, to be noted that few very light, 
high-grade tricycles have been produced in this 
country, and that very few have been imported, 
owing to a fear that they would not stand use 
on our average roads. It should also be noted 
that for night riding the tricycle is the most 
desirable mount, not alone because it is the safest, 
but because it is the most comfortable one on 
which to feel the way on dark roads. 

It is then reasonable to conclude that the 
motion of the tricycle, though charming, is not 



134 CYCLING. 

quite so exhilarating as that of other types of 
cycles, and that, consequently, the degree of pleas- 
ure that it gives is somewhat less ; but, that it is 
the easiest form of wheel to learn to ride ; the 
safest one for all around use ; and on fine roads, 
all things considered, possesses the largest amount 
of utility. 




THE SAFETY BICYCLE. 

This form of bicycle has been sometimes said to 
resemble the old "boneshaker" ; but, as a matter 
of fact, the different position of the pedals changes 
completely the character of the exercise, and the 
radical difference in construction makes its run- 
ning qualities of an entirely different character. 
Only one who has become tolerably expert in the 
use of both machines, or at least has had some 
experience in riding both, can form an adequate 
notion of the immeasurable difference between 



CERTAIN CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES. 135 

them. The modern safety bicycle has proved an 
immense success and, though driven by a chain, 
almost competes in easy running qualities with 
the ordinary bicycle. Its safety is due to the 
position of the rider between the wheels, and the 
fact that there is not required in riding it any 
delicate fore and aft balancing which may be dis- 
turbed by objects in the road if the wheel is rid- 
den carelessly. The name "safety" as applied 
to this type of wheel is correct, though it was 
once applied to a type, or variety, now obsolete, 
which were not safeties except in name. It must 
be considered, however, a rather unfortunate 
term ; because it creates an invidious, unjust, and 
false impression of the high machine, now called 
the "ordinary," by what it implies about it. As 
a matter of simple justice to the ordinary bicycle, 
it would be well if the safeties could receive as 
a name some word meaning small or low bicycle, 
such as bicyclette, and apply the word "bicycle" 
to the ordinaries only. 

The characteristic of the safety bicycle is two 
wheels of practically equal size, usually thirty inch, 
the rear one driving, and the front steering. The 
wheels sometimes vary a little in size, one or the 
other being reduced two or four inches. Both 
wheels, however, are smaller than the drivers 
of nearly all tricycles, and but a little over one- 
half the size of the wheel of an ordinary bicycle ; 



136 CYCLING. 

but some very serious objections to their small 
size are offset by the rider's position between 
them and the result obtained from having nearly 
equal diameter. Of course, with rear driving, 
as in the tricycle, the safety bicycle pushes a 
steering wheel ahead ; but the slight digging effect 
spoken of in the case of the tricycle is mod- 
ified by the increased size of the steerer, and 
something more of a rhythmic roll is secured by 
placing the saddle between two equal wheels. 
The motion is thus more pleasant than that of 
the tricycle, but is below that of the ordinary 
bicycle. 

On the score of utility, however, the safety 
bicycle must take high rank. It runs almost as 
easily as an ordinary bicycle ; it is easier to mount 
it or dismount from it, especially on hills; it is 
somewhat safer for all-round (including night) rid- 
ing; its saddle is adjustable, so that it can be 
used by different persons; it can be had suitable 
for the use of both sexes ; it is practically (not 
absolutely) free from headers ; it is lighter and 
easier running than the tricycle ; it will carry con- 
siderable luggage ; and, taken altogether, has great 
general utility as an all-round mount. Laying 
aside the question of the character of its motion, 
the only objections to it are a certain liability to 
side slip in making quick turns, or on uneven, 
rutty roads, and the facts that, weight for weight, 



CERTAIN CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES. 137 

it is not as strong as the ordinary bicycle, nor will 
it wear as long. In four points, however, superior 
utility can be claimed for the tricycle : the ease 
with which any one can ride it ; the extreme con- 
venience of being able to stop at will without dis- 
mounting, especially for ladies ; the fact that for 
night riding the three-wheeler is most convenient, 
comfortable, and safe, and it can carry the largest 
amount of luggage. For these reasons the tri- 
cycle excels the safety bicycle in utility ; though, 
unless the roads are good, the tricycle is much 
handicapped by requiring three tracks. Where 
the roads are fine, however, the light tricycle has 
a place which the safety bicycle cannot fill, even 
though some ardent admirers of this type of two- 
wheeler claim that it embraces all the good points 
of tricycle and ordinary bicycle, without any of 
their drawbacks. The conclusion therefore is that 
the safety bicycle is lighter running and pleasanter 
to ride than the tricycle, but has a little less 
utility; and that it has a little more utility than 
the ordinary bicycle, but is not so pleasant 
to ride. 

Before taking up the ordinary bicycle, a ma- 
chine of what may be called an intermediate 
variety deserves attention. It is a tricycle built 
somewhat on the lines of an ordinary bicycle, at 
least in regard to the features which have most 
to do with the character of its motion on the 



I3 8 CYCLING. 

road. Its double, or tandem, form is more suc- 
cessful than its single, and is now alone used. 




THE HUMBER TANDEM. 

Almost all classes of cycles have been at some 
time built in a double as well as a single form, but 
the Humber tandem enjoys the unique distinc- 
tion of being the only double machine which has 
proved to be superior to the single machine of 
the same type. The type of front-steering tri- 
cycle illustrated in the early part of this chapter, 
because of its greater convenience, safety, and 
general utility, supplanted the single Humber; 
but the double Humber retained its hold on the 
cycling world even after the introduction of the 
tandem safety bicycle. This circumstance is 



CERTAIN CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES. 139 

probably largely accounted for by the facts that 
the double machine ran more steadily and steered 
more easily than did the single, and also because 
the position and weight of two riders imparted to 
it much more of the running qualities of the ordi- 
nary bicycle. With the exception of the Humber 
tandem, double machines generally may be re- 
garded as inferior to the single wheels of their re- 
spective types in running qualities and general 
utility. 

The characteristic feature of the Humber tan- 
dem is large front driving-steering wheels, which 
practically carry all the weight and do all the 
work. The wheels are large enough to have a 
pleasant action on the road, and they push no 
small wheel in front to interfere with their rhyth- 
mic roll, or detract from the peculiar swinging, 
bowling motion only obtainable with cycles built 
on lines similar to these. With the machine 
properly run, you glide along with the most 
smooth, free, and exhilarating motion known, ex- 
cepting only that of the ordinary bicycle, the 
rider on the front seat especially getting the full 
benefit of the great advantages of the type. It 
is a pity that more wheelmen have not had pa- 
tience to learn to master it. It gives the highest 
type of motion, the greatest exhilaration obtaina- 
ble by women from cycling — for the motion cor- 
responds closely to that of the ordinary bicycle, 



14° CYCLING. 

which is of a higher class than that of the tricycle 
or safety bicycle. 

Besides its delightful motion, the Humber tan- 
dem has other points of peculiar excellence: It is 
controlled absolutely by the rear rider; it has 
bicycle steering, susceptible of complete guidance 
by the feet alone ; its steering is delicate, but 
powerful and absolutely accurate, much surpas- 
sing the front-steering type in the ease and pleas- 
ure of perfect control when once mastered ; the 
weight is nearly all carried on the drivers, so that 
the trailing-wheel can generally be ignored, giving 
practically a two-track machine ; the drivers and 
steerers being the same, as in the ordinary bicycle, 
they are immediately beneath the eye, and the 
path can be most readily chosen ; in fact, its steer- 
ing and running qualities possess the same marked 
excellences as the ordinary bicycle, and endear 
themselves in the same way to those who once 
learn to appreciate them. In competent hands 
the only disadvantage of the type is a slight diffi- 
culty of control in descending steep hills. The 
machine, however, needs considerable practice, 
and like the ordinary bicycle requires a cool 
head and quick eye to get the best results ; but, 
like it also, well repays all the care and trouble 
taken to master it thoroughly. 



CERTAIN CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES. 141 



THE ORDINARY BICYCLE. 

The characteristic feature of the ordinary bi- 
cycle is a large front driving-steering wheel, pro- 
pelled by direct action through cranks attached to 
the axle, and a small rear, or trailing wheel. The 




rider sits a few inches back of the nearly vertical 
forks, astride the large wheel, and nearly over its 
center. The steering is perfectly steady, and can 
be done perfectly by the feet alone (without 
touching the handle-bar with the hands) on rea- 
sonably good roads. The fore and aft balance, 
already considered in the chapter on Learning, is 
a feature which makes riding the ordinary bicycle 
difficult to some, but it is also a feature which im- 
parts to it some of its most delightful character- 



I4 2 CYCLING. 

istics. It is this exquisite balance of a large 
wheel, its freedom from anything to push before 
it, and the position of the rider over it, which, 
combined, give the highest type of motion. On 
a good road you glide along on it as on no other 
mount ; you skim the surface in a way no other 
wheel ever does ; you bowl up and down the gentle 
undulations of the way as nothing but a large un- 
fettered wheel can ; you are conscious of a sen- 
sation of freedom and exhilaration that comes 
under no other conditions, and, as your control of 
your wheel is perfected, you seem to become one 
with it in action and are conscious of a rhythmic 
roll which is the perfection of motion. In this 
delightful movement the ordinary bicycle far sur- 
passes all other cycles, and produces the greatest 
degree of pleasure. 

Those riders who exercise prudence, and who 
take pains to learn all the peculiarities of their 
mount, and once really learn to ride well, find in 
the ordinary bicycle all the charm that is claimed 
for it. It is true it takes more time to learn to 
master it than does the safety bicycle, but it pays 
well to learn to do so ; and, when mastered, it can 
be ridden anywhere that a safety can decently go, 
except down the steepest hills. It has a life and 
"go" about it which cannot be imparted to any 
type of wheel which pushes another wheel in front. 
Its merits appeal irresistibly to every one who 



CERTAIN CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES. 1 43 

once masters it, and though it has been discarded 
by some riders under the pressure of fashion, or a 
craze for a novelty, or because of over caution, 
they will nearly always own that it has many 
superlative characteristics, and often wish that 
they were riding it again. 

In point of utility merely, the ordinary bicycle 
must take a lower place than the safety bicycle 
or tricycle. It takes longer to learn to ride it 
than does the safety, and, of course, much longer 
than the tricycle. It is a trifle more difficult to 
mount, particularly in bad places or on hills ; it 
carries less luggage and less conveniently, and, 
under certain conditions, it is not quite so safe a 
mount as either of the others. 

The question of safety, however, is the one 
oftenest taken into consideration, and generally 
receives unfair treatment. The ordinary bicycle 
is charged with being an intrinsically dangerous 
vehicle — which is both unjust and untrue. Some 
people have a notion that one will somehow fre- 
quently come to a sudden stop, and throw the 
rider over its head. A bicycle cannot do this 
under any circumstances when properly ridden. 
There have been fewer accidents, in proportion to 
their numbers, among bicyclists than among any 
class of sportsmen. Where accidents have oc- 
curred, it has been constantly remarked by observ- 
ant wheelmen that they were the result of careless- 



144 CYCLING. 

ness or recklessness. Men who ride with judg- 
ment and caution very rarely meet with acci- 
dents, and a header is something practically 
unknown among them. But if the ordinary bicy- 
cle can be ridden so as to be a perfectly safe mount 
some still claim that there are places where the 
safety bicycle can go which are not accessible to 
the rider of the ordinary. Sift this down, and 
what does it usually mean? Simply that he can 
ride up or down a moderate curb, or over bricks 
and logs in the road, or ride a little more freely 
and thoughtlessly in the dark. It is not often re- 
membered that the safety bicycle is prone to slip 
in turning sharp corners quickly, and also on slop- 
ing side paths, and that on narrow paths the pedals 
sometimes strike obstacles — from all which defects 
the ordinary bicycle is free. If one can be a little 
more reckless on a safety bicycle with less chance 
of danger, such hard riding is using the machine 
in a way never contemplated for cycles. There 
is little real utility in such riding, but it is some- 
thing that some safety bicycle riders talk about 
as if it was the aim and end of riding. They are, 
however, usually quite as sure as any others to 
pick a good road, and it is only in descending 
infrequent steep hills that they have any real 
advantage over a good rider of an ordinary 
bicycle. 

In order, however, to get the best results out of 



CERTAIN CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES. 145 

an ordinary bicycle, it is absolutely necessary to 
have the reach well within your limit. A man 
can get the most satisfaction out of a wheel one 
size below what he can ride readily on the level. 
On the smaller wheel he can ride worse roads ; he 
can climb hills easier and faster ; he can back-pedal 
more powerfully; he can hold his wheel much 
more firmly in pedaling down a stiff hill; and can 
control it much more completely irt every way. 
The following excellent reasons for not riding a 
wheel at all too large were sent to Bicycling News 
by a correspondent : 

" Because the long reach will unsteady you, and upset your 
steering. Because it is not safe. Because you can't mount 
easily. Because the extension of the muscles at the back of 
the knee-joint will contract the arteries, and impede the free 
circulation of the blood, thereby rendering a sustained spurt 
impossible, and giving you the sensation of ' no legs.' Any 
sensation of ' crackedness ' below the knee indicates over- 
reach. You ought to feel groggy in the thigh, not the calf, 
for it is in the thigh that the bicycle muscle lies. An aching 
heel, however, does not signify over-reach. To continue, an 
over-tall ordinary is a most unmanageable machine, and you 
never seem to have full confidence in it. It is simply a man- 
trap in ruts, whereas a rationally-ridden ordinary revels in 
them. If you can't reach it properly you can't sit back as 
you ought to. As a corner-turner an over-sized ordinary is 
a most dangerous thing ; as a stone-taker it is brutally in- 
considerate. Even experienced men seem to think an ordi- 
nary different to other machines, and they will sit high. A 
too tall ordinary is a certain thing to put people off cycling, 



146 CYCLING. 

and it is, perhaps, the chief reason for the machine going so 
much out of favor. Well under you, as an all-round road 
instrument it cannot be beaten ; an inch too high it is a 
beast, and you can't get any pace out of it. If you are 
going to get an ordinary for winter riding have it small, and 
not too heavy. Don't be afraid of the mud-flecks from the 
back wheel, but sit back. The legs should never be any- 
thing like straightened, but always well bent. These points 
attended to, you will be able to put it anywhere, and you' 
will find it better than anything over loose metal and through 
thick mud." 

In hill climbing the ordinary bicycle is a trifle 
inferior to the safety, the accepted reason being 
that as you mount a hill the relative position of 
the two wheels changes and causes the weight 
upon the rear wheel to increase and that on the 
front wheel to diminish; hence, the steeper the 
grade, the more the rear wheel "bites" the road, 
and the less the front wheel. In other words, a 
vertical line drawn through the center of gravity 
of the machine approaches nearer to the point of 
contact of the rear wheel with the ground the 
steeper the grade becomes, and consequently the 
"bite" of the driving wheel of a safety bicycle 
increases as the ascent becomes steeper; while 
the "bite" of the driving wheel of an ordinary 
decreases. It follows from it that rear drivers 
must be the best hill climbers, and as a rule they 
are somewhat superior to front drivers. At any 
rate, the difference between the safety and ordi- 



CERTAIN CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES. 1 41 

nary in actual practice is sufficiently great to be 
sometimes noticed, though hill climbing, after all, 
depends as much on the rider as on the machine, 
and is largely a natural gift. The advantage of 
the safety bicycle in hill climbing, however, is 
obtained at the expense of a greater expenditure 
of power on the part of the rider. It requires a 
peculiar knack, or great skill, to mount a steep 
hill on an ordinary bicycle, but on a safety bicycle 
less skill, but more muscular exertion, will avail, 
and so a poorer rider can climb further. 

In this connection it should be mentioned that 
the friction of the chain on a safety bicycle is con- 
siderable, and, together with pushing a large steer- 
ing wheel, adds to the labor of pedaling. These 
facts being so clear, many persons have wondered 
why the safety runs as easily as it does. The 
explanation seems to lie in the fact that a small 
wheel geared up runs more easily than a large 
wheel geared level. This being true, as experi- 
enced tricycle and tandem riders know, it is prob- 
able that the disadvantages of the chain and 
front steering wheel are in a considerable meas- 
ure compensated for by the very small geared up 
driver. It is useless to claim that the safety 
runs just as easily as the ordinary for it does not 
do so- — the friction of the chain, the extra weight 
and the front steering wheel combine to render it 
impossible. The difference in the labor required, 



■148 CYCLING. 

and in the character of the motion of the two 
types, has been aptly stated by a physician who 
has used both of them. He said : "The bicycle, 
when started, seems to run of itself, but the safety 
seems to always need more or less pushing." 






il 



SAFETY j 
SlCYCLES 



LIGHT, 



SIMPLE, 



STRONG. 



THE PERFECTION OF CYCLE MECHANISM. 



LLEWELLYN H. JOHNSON, 

MANUFACTURING IMPORTER, ORANGE, N. J., U. S. A. 



SEE NEXT PA GE. 



$200.— PREMIER TANDEM SAFETY. 
The Only machine of its class strong 
enough for American roads. 



$140.— CATFORD PREMIER SAFETY. 
Light Roadster. The Easiest-Run- 
ning Bicycle in the World. 



$135.— PREMIER ROADSTER SAFETY. 
For Top-weights and Rough Roads. 
Ball-socket Steering. 



$135.— LADIES' PREMIER SAFETY. A 
model of elegant design, secure 
strength, and moderate weight. 



$105.— POPULAR PREMIER SAFETY. 
Diamond-frame Roadster, high in 
grade, and moderate in cost. 



$85.— UNIVERSAL PREMIER SAFETY. 
An Honest all-ball, all-steel safety, 
fully warranted. 



$65.— YOUTHS' PREMIER SAFETY. 
Highest quality in every detail. Will 
last to full growth. 



CATALOGUE FREE ON APPLICATION. 



PRACTICAL POINTS. 



Abuse and Misuse.— See Use and Abuse of 
Cycles. 

Adjustability. — The earlier types of cycles 
generally possessed few and imperfect means of 
adjustment of the various parts ; but, as their 
lines and workmanship improved, satisfactory 
means of making adjustments became common. 
First class bearings are now practically perfectly 
adjustable for wear. Good saddles also can be 
adjusted for height and position on the ordinary, 
and even further on the safety and tricycle, in 
order to secure the best angle and some move- 
ment forward and aft. Chains can be adjusted 
in a moment to take up slack; the position of 
steps and foot rests can be changed ; and the 
head, especially when fitted with balls, can be 
very delicately set. 

Advantages of Cycling. — These are, briefly, 

the enjoyment of perfect digestion and good 

health ; a fascinating and exhilarating pastime ; 

an exercise which tones up the system, and tends 

149 



15° CYCLING. 

to remove craving for stimulants ; and a practi- 
cal, convenient, and easy mode of locomotion. 
See chapter on Cycling for Health. 

Ankle Action. — See Chapter on Correct 
Pedaling. 

Anti-Vibration Cycles.— See Vibration. 

Back-pedaling.— This is one of the elementary 
accomplishments of a good rider, as explained in 
the chapter on Learning. It should be acquired 
in an early stage of one's experience ; not by wait- 
ing for emergencies to call for its exercise, but 
by deliberate practice until it is mastered. It 
can only become thoroughly effective when the 
reach is sufficiently short ; but this being secured, 
the secret of power is in griping each pedal just 
as it comes around to its very lowest point, and 
in applying the weight and power at that point. 

Ball Bearings. — These reducers of friction are 
applied to all the revolving parts of high grade 
cycles. They usually consist of a single row of 
small balls running on hardened surfaces in deli- 
cately adjusted bearing boxes. 

Ball Heads. — Ball bearing heads are used to 
a limited extent on ordinary bicycles; but have 
not been generally adopted for them, and some 
makers have refused to fit them under any cir- 
cumstances. It is urged against them that they 



PRACTICAL POINTS. 151 

add multiplicity of parts, and materially increase 
the danger of breakage ; that careless adjustment 
may easily ruin the balls ; that they really are 
little, if any, better than first-class cone heads ; 
and that balls cannot be advantageously used in 
a bearing which is not in constant rotation. In 
favor of them, it is urged that a properly adjusted 
ball head makes the steering more pleasant and 
even; that only reasonable care is. required for 
their adjustment ; and that, when properly ad- 
justed and oiled, they require attention but about 
one-quarter as often as cone heads. 

There is a somewhat greater tendency to fit 
ball steering to safeties, as the steering differs 
enough from that of the ordinary to make it 
advantageous. The objections mentioned above 
do not apply in this case, while the use of balls 
gives to the usually sensitive steering of the 
safety a greater degree of steadiness. 

Bath or Rub-down. — For a person in ordi- 
nary good health exercise is nearly always most 
beneficial when carried on until a moderate per- 
spiration is induced ; and if one is in vigorous 
health, or accustomed to exercise, a more profuse 
perspiration is desirable. In order to be comfort- 
able when perspiring freely, it is necessary to be 
dressed suitably for the work in hand, and to 
make a complete change of clothing when it is 



152 CYCLING. 

over. When the change is made, the body should 
be cleansed of perspiration and of the impurities 
which have been brought out of the pores. If the 
exercise has been only of ordinary duration or 
severity, a thorough rub down is all that is re- 
quired. The body should be rubbed briskly with 
a good towel, not only till thoroughly dry, but 
until a glow has been imparted to it, especially to 
the chest and arms. Then, on dressing leisurely, 
new exhilaration and increased tone will be felt 
throughout the system. If the ride has been un- 
usually severe, a full bath, using soap, may be 
taken with advantage, and the body rubbed as 
before till a glow is induced. A sponge bath is 
of little, if any, more value than a good rub down. 
Of course it is supposed that a regular, thorough 
bath, with good soap, is taken at least weekly in 
winter and semi-weekly in summer. 

Bearings. — The novice usually puts too much 
or too little oil in his bearings. A little at a time, 
tolerably often, is a pretty safe rule. Bearings 
should be watched and not allowed to get loose. 
When any very perceptible play appears in them, 
they should be adjusted; but this must be done 
very causiously, care being taken not to do any- 
thing more than take up the play. If a machine 
is used for several years, it is well to have a com- 
petent cycle repairer look it over, possibly once a 



PRACTICAL POINTS. 153 

season, in order that the bearings and other parts 
may be properly cleaned and cared for. 

Bells and Whistles.— In some districts the 
law compels a cyclist to carry a bell or whistle, 
and to give warning on approaching a team from 
the rear. It is sometimes easier, better, and 
more effective to use one than to use the voice. 
The bell is perhaps best for ladies' use, and on 
tricycles generally ; but bicyclers in this country, 
as a rule, prefer some sort of whistle. One or the 
other should always be carried for use in case of 
need. 

Books for Records. — Various cycling "logs" 
have been put on the market, and meet the de- 
mands of those who want specially prepared 
record books. Many cyclists, however, make no 
pretence of keeping a record, while some go by 
simple guess-work, or, as they are more apt to 
call it " careful estimates," and others simply 
glance at the reading of their cyclometer from 
time to time. For those, however, who want to 
keep daily records, and do not care for special 
"logs," a small, cheap diary costing anywhere 
from fifteen to fifty cents will answer every pur- 
pose, and will also contain a calendar, the dates 
of moonlight nights, and other handy facts. It 
is often pleasant to look back over the record and 



154 CYCLING. 

recall the pleasant experiences which come to 
mind on consulting the brief notes of a ride. 

Brakes. — Good brake power is essential to any 
cycle. It is usually well provided for on most 
machines. For a long time a band brake acting 
on a drum on the axle was considered the only 
proper thing for tricycles ; but, with the practical 
equalization in size of the three wheels, a tendency 
to use a spoon brake like that on an ordinary 
bicycle grew up, so that many of the tricycles 
with very large steering-wheels are fitted with 
* such brakes. It is doubtful, however, whether, 
as a whole, they are equal to a good band brake 
on this class of machine. 

On safety bicycles the brake is often a spoon 
on the steering-wheel, and this, when well fitted, 
and used with care, is effective and reliable. In 
other cases the brake is a spoon, acting on the 
driving-wheel where, theoretically, it seems to 
belong. It would probably be oftener placed in 
this position were it not easier to put it on the 
steering-wheel. Band brakes have been success- 
fully applied to drums on the driving-wheel axle 
or crank axle, but they appear to add some un- 
necessary complication. 

Brake-holder.— It is far harder on the hand 
than one who has not tried it would suppose to 
hold a brake well on while descending a long or 



PRACTICAL POINTS. *55 

steep hill, and the fingers and muscles will often 
be sore and stiff when the brake is released. 
Attempts to remedy this have sometimes been 
made, but machines have never been sent out 
with any brake-holder attachment. One can 
very seldom be regarded as a necessity unless a 
great deal of hill riding is done. If, however, 
one is desired it can be improvised by making an 
oval ring of stout wire, or metal, to hang on the 
handle-bar, which can be pulled along over the 
brake lever on descending a hill, thus setting the 
brake as tightly as is wise or necessary. 

Breathing while Riding. — Some few persons 
have naturally what is called "good wind," but 
the majority very easily get " out of breath." In 
all kinds of exercises, the management of the 
breath is an important feature of success, and 
even of comfort. It is necessary to learn to 
breathe more deeply and rapidly than one does 
under ordinary circumstances. To many this is 
difficult at first, because they are so entirely 
unaccustomed to it, and because they incline to 
breathe through the mouth, thus parching the 
throat and causing much discomfort. The ac- 
quirement of good wind, however, can be some- 
what facilitated by making a practice of breath- 
ing exclusively through the nose, and of taking 
deep breaths under ordinary circumstances. 



156 CYCLING. 

When the first fast spin on a cycle is taken, the 
impulse to open the mouth is very strong; but 
it should be strenuously resisted, and the pace 
reduced to a speed at which it is possible to keep 
the lips closed. Careful practice will make it 
much easier to keep them closed, and will im- 
prove the wind materially. 

Bundle Carriers.— See Luggage Carriers. 

Care of Cycles. — It is an easy matter to take 
proper care of a machine, and requires but little 
time if a few minutes are given after a ride. The 
ordinary bicycle is far and away the easiest cycle 
to keep clean, while there is little, if any, differ- 
ence between the amount of time required for a 
safety bicycle or tricycle. A machine finished in 
full enamel, except of course the usual bright 
parts such as handle-bar and cranks, needs much 
less attention than full nickle finish, and is much 
more pleasing to the eye of most people. It 
takes about two minutes to wipe the dust off all 
the parts of an ordinary, and four or five minutes 
if there is much mud. Twice as much time is 
needed to wipe off a safety or tricycle. The 
head, bearings, pedals, chain, and nuts should be 
felt of occasionally to see if any part is loose, and 
if one is, it should have prompt attention. It is 
well worth while to keep a machine carefully 
wiped off, as dust and mud, if allowed to accumu- 



PRACTICAL POINTS. 157 

late, are pretty sure to work into some place 
where they do harm. 

Celluloid Goods. — American riders usually 
dress for comfort on the wheel, and sometimes 
go to the extreme of being actually untidy in 
appearance. Linen is generally, and wisely, 
eschewed ; but flannel can be made to appear as 
neat while being far more suitable. When the 
addition of a white collar and cuffs is desirable 
for purposes of extra dress, the best article to 
use is probably celluloid. The collar, cuffs, and 
shirt fronts made of it will not wilt down with 
perspiration ; they can be washed clean in a 
moment, and last a long time. 

Chains on Cycles. — Though many attempts 
have been made to find some better means than 
a chain for the transmission of power where it 
cannot be applied direct to the driving-wheel of 
a cycle, nothing has so far succeeded in rivaling 
it. A great deal of the successful running of a 
tricycle or safety depends upon the adjustment 
and condition of the chain. If it is not sent 
out properly lubricated, every joint should be 
thoroughly oiled before it is used, and the whole 
chain lightly coated with a rather thin mixture of 
graphite and kerosene. The oil will immediately 
dry off and enough graphite will remain to an- 



I5 8 CYCLING. 

swer for some time. Dirt and grit should be 
brushed off when they appear, and the above 
lubrications repeated at infrequent intervals. 
Pretty much all chains show slack from stretch- 
ing and wear, and when it appears it should be 
taken up. The chain should be adjusted till it is 
just short of being tight — that is, it should always 
be allowed to retain just the least particle of 
slack, in order that it may run freely, and be per- 
fectly free from binding. 

The following suggestions on this subject are 
from the circular on " Hints on the Care of Cycle 
Chains" : 

" If your machine has not been ridden, the chain should 
be removed and soaked for an hour or two in sperm oil ; or 
it should be deluged with oil on the machine, and ridden 
five or ten miles to work the oil thoroughly on the inner 
joints. It should then be wiped as dry as possible all over, 
and given a coating of graphite, which may be brushed on 
or applied with a bit of cotton wool, then burnished (unless 
a nickeled chain) with a dry brush. This will not catch the 
dust and grit — steel's worst enemy — but will form a dry, 
glossy surface, enabling the links to roll easily over the teeth 
of the gear wheels. The graphite will work in all the inner 
links of the chain. Such a dressing should last one or two 
months without further attention, excepting, when needed, 
to wipe the dust off the chain, which may be done lightly 
without removing this graphite. 

" If your machine has been used, the chain should be 
thoroughly washed with benzine before applying the oil. 

" If the chain has exposed bearings, the chain need not 



PRACTICAL POINTS. i$9 

be previously oiled, but should be cleaned. The graphite 
may then be applied as above. 

" To take off the chain, undo the screw in one of the 
links. The chain should be kept at such a tension that 
when pressure is applied to the pedal it will slightly sag on 
the opposite side." 

Chamois Leathers. — Some cyclists use these 
leathers for cleaning purposes. Those who do, 
can clean them when they become soiled by 
washing them ; but if they rinse them out in 
clear water the leather will become hard and 
stiff. In order to have it remain soft, it is neces- 
sary to leave the soap in it. 

Choosing a Mount. — In selecting a machine 
it is necessary to consult one's purse ; to consider 
one's size and weight ; to bear in mind the prin- 
cipal uses to which it will be put, as well as the 
character of the roads on which it will be run, 
and finally to suit one's tastes as far as possible. 

As to cost, if one can afford to buy the highest 
grade it is perhaps just as well to do so at 
the outset, for there is no necessity for injuring 
either a safety or tricycle while learning to ride. 
There is rather more danger of injuring an ordi- 
nary, especially if one does not get a start in a 
riding school, and one usually gets more satisfac- 
tion out of a new mount the second season, as 
well as knowing better what is wanted. This 
last, however, also applies to the safety and tri- 



160 CYCLING. 

cycle. If one is limited in the amount to be 
spent, the question always arises whether it is 
better to buy a second-hand, high-grade machine, 
or a new machine of lower grade. Of course, 
tastes differ in such matters, and a good deal 
depends upon the condition of the second-hand 
wheel ; but if it is not of too old a model, and is 
really in first rate condition, it may be more 
desirable than a new machine of inferior quality. 

As to size and weight, some of the best 
authorities contend that tall, slender, or active 
men are at a decided advantage on the ordinary, 
as they can usually handle it to the best advant- 
age, and when this is done its unequaled quali- 
ties show to the best advantage. Short and 
heavy people, however, generally find the safety 
preferable, and can use to advantage on it a gear 
higher than the corresponding tall wheel they 
could ride. Whatever type is selected, a very 
heavy man should not choose a semi-racer, nor 
need a very light man push all the weight of 
full roadsters. 

Then, as to the use of the wheel and the roads. 
For fast work, as road-racing, a light roadster is 
desirable ; but for ordinary purposes, unless the 
roads are very good, a medium-weight is decid- 
edly to be preferred. Very light weight ma- 
chines are not suited to ordinary road use, unless 
one is able to get a new one about every season ; 



PRACTICAL POINTS. 161 

a medium-weight machine will last much longer, 
always be more reliable, and run quite as easily 
under average all-round conditions. An over 
heavy machine is objectionable enough, but is 
apt to prove a more profitable investment than 
an over light one. Except for racing purposes, 
the importance of selecting a thoroughly strong 
and rigid medium-weight cannot be too strongly 
urged. 

Finally, it is well to satisfy one's fancy as to 
appearance and fittings on purchasing, if practi- 
cable, and not to be over-persuaded by any one. 
To enjoy a wheel thoroughly, one should be able 
to take a pride in it, and he can not do this if he 
dislikes his mount in any way. 

Cleaning the Machine.— See Care of Cycles. 

Clubs.— Cycle clubs have everywhere followed 
the growth of wheeling and have accomplished 
much good by means of organization. In cities, 
where they have been able to maintain good club 
houses and add social features, they have some- 
times proved very successful and permanent ; 
but when they have had no interest besides 
cycling, it has sometimes been found difficult to 
maintain an active organization for any length of 
time, for the interests which draw riders together 
when on the wheel seem to lose their efficacy 
when they are off it, especially after the first 



162 CYCLING. 

blush of enthusiasm has somewhat passed. Cycle 
clubs can be made enjoyable associations and are 
beneficial to the pastime when well managed, and 
it is well for all wheelmen to make some effort to 
maintain them. 

Coasting. — Cycles, being vehicles and subject 
to the laws of the road, ought always to be kept 
well in hand, especially on steep hills. Through 
the courtesy of travelers on the road, objection 
is seldom made when a cycle travels at a higher 
speed than the law prescribes, or when one coasts 
moderately ; but few persons can complacently 
see a cycle rush coasting down, at fifteen miles 
an hour, and partly out of the rider's control. 
If for no other reason than the possibility of 
frightening some horse, no one ought to coast on 
a hill on which there are any vehicles unless he 
runs slowly, with his machine well in hand. If 
the coast is clear, of course he can do as he 
chooses. Coasting is usually done at considera- 
ble speed, and with the wheel under less com- 
plete control than when riding at the same speed 
on a level. Wheelmen ought to have some con- 
sideration for other users of the road in this mat- 
ter, and not coast freely unless the road is clear. 
They should also remember that should they 
cause an accident while coasting, they would pro- 
bably be held responsible for it, as they could 



PRACTICAL POINTS. 163 

not be if they were pedaling, with their wheels 
under complete control. 

What it is that makes one cycle coast better 
than another is an interesting and much disputed 
question. The makers of certain wheels remark- 
ably successful as coasters say it is their bearings, 
and they may be right, for some bearings cer- 
tainly seem to run more freely and steadily than 
others after a rider is in the saddle. But let two 
different persons try the same wheel, and they 
often will not get it to coast the same distance ; 
which goes to show that the manner in which 
a wheel is ridden is a very important factor. 
Sometimes a heavy wheel with plain bearings 
will almost hold its own against a lighter wheel 
with ball bearings, which is the basis of the belief 
of many that weight is the most important factor. 
Again, large wheels will sometimes outcoast 
smaller ones, which accounts for the assertion 
that it is size which tells. But the more one 
watches different makes, types, and sizes in coast- 
ing, the more certain it appears that no single 
point can constitute a complete explanation. 
There are several factors in the equation, and 
their values seem to vary under different circum- 
stances. 

Convertibility.— The term "convertible" is 
usually applied to a machine built to carry two 



164 CYCLING. 

persons, when the pedals, chain, saddle, and con- 
necting parts, used by one of the riders, can be 
readily removed by loosening two or three nuts, 
and the machine then ridden as a single. Such 
arrangement is sometimes advantageous, especi- 
ally for the purse, and was for a time quite pop- 
ular; but it has its disadvantages and, as a mat- 
ter of fact, many persons who possess convertible 
machines never think of using them except in 
double form. To the majority, it is too disa- 
greeable and annoying a task to remove and 
replace the detachable parts. Moreover, a ma- 
chine built right for a single is neither properly 
balanced nor strong enough for a second seat 
and rider ; while one built of proper strength 
and balance for two persons is too awkward and 
heavy for one person, when the extra seat 
is removed. Except upon highly utilitarian 
grounds, convertible machines cannot be consid- 
ered equal, in complete adaptability to the needs 
of their users, to machines built to be ridden by 
a certain number only, and by no other number. 

Crank-throw. — Some marked changes in pub- 
lic opinion regarding crank throw have taken 
place. The character of racing machines at one 
time had so much weight with cyclists that road- 
sters were equipped very much like them, and 
among other features were fitted with very short 



PRACTICAL POINTS. 165 

cranks. Then, too, the general desire to ride as 
large a wheel as possible made short cranks pop- 
ular, while it was also argued that the shorter 
the throw the less the distance the foot had to 
travel. A throw of less than five inches was not 
uncommon ; and five, or five and a quarter, was 
considered quite long. After a time the mechan- 
ical advantage of a longer throw, even on racers, 
began to be recognized, and five and a half to 
six inch cranks were fitted to the ordinary bicycle. 

A great impulse to the general adoption of 
longer cranks was given when the chain-driving 
safety was introduced. Its appearance was hailed 
as the advent of a machine on which a combina- 
tion of very high gear and very long cranks would 
produce wonderful results. But when it was 
found that cranks could not be used long enough 
to compensate for the phenomenal gears that 
were proposed, and supposed by some to be 
practicable, more reasonable gears were adopted, 
but the cranks were allowed to remain very long. 
One result of this was that the average length of 
crank used on safeties is nearly an inch greater 
than the average length in use on ordinaries. 
The additional leverage gained by the use of 
these extra long cranks is an important factor in 
getting the safety to run nearly as easily as the 
ordinary. 

The actual length of crank-throw desirable nat- 



t66 CYCLING. 

urally varies somewhat with the character of the 
machine, rider, and roads, in each particular case. 
The usual practice is to fit ordinaries with cranks 
having a throw of from five and a quarter to six 
inches ; tricycles with about the same, or half an 
inch longer; and safeties with cranks having a 
throw of about five and three-quarters to six and 
one-half inches, or from six to seven inches. As it 
is usual to set the pedal at the extreme throw, the 
number of inches referred to as the length of a 
crank must be taken as being its full throw. 

For the ordinary, six inches make a very good 
length for the average machine, and nothing lon- 
ger is likely to be required or to be advisable. 
On the lighter, higher grade machines, how- 
ever, especially if perfectly rigid and with the 
best bearings, a throw of a quarter inch, or even 
half an inch, less can be used with a shade more 
of comfort, and with equally good results. On 
light roadsters, five and three-quarter inches is 
about the ideal length. On tricycles, six to six 
and a half is needed, according to weight and 
gear of machine ; when for ladies, the gear should 
usually be from forty-six to fifty, and the throw 
not over six inches. The safety for ladies can 
be geared to perhaps fifty ; but it should not 
be geared so high as to require a crank of over six 
inch throw, while a somewhat shorter one is more 
pleasant and graceful for them, For gentlemen, 



PRACTICAL POINTS. 167 

the gear is usually fifty-four, and the crank six 
and a half to seven inches. A first class, medium- 
weight roadster, however, at this gear does not 
require over six and a half inches. A higher 
gear, for road use, is only a burden in climbing 
hills, and of no practical value on the level. A 
longer crank-throw is disagreeable and ought not 
to be required. 

Cyclists' Touring Club. — An English organ- 
ization having over twenty thousand members, 
including small foreign branches. An initiation 
fee of one shilling, and annual dues of two shil- 
lings and sixpence, gives each member a monthly 
Gazette, reduced hotel rates almost everywhere in 
Great Britain, and introduction to a local consul 
at nearly every cycling town. The club has also 
done much to secure reduced railroad rates for 
cycles; to erect sign boards ; and to further road 
improvement. 

Cycling for Women. — See Chapter on Cycling 
for Health. 

Cyclometers. — A register for recording the 
distance traveled is an agreeable companion on a 
cycle, especially on new roads and on tours. 
There is considerable satisfaction on being able 
to tell how far one has gone, or what is the rate 
of speed, and its use makes it possible to keep an 



1 68 CYCLING. 

accurate record, which is not possible in any 
other way. The most satisfactory cyclometers 
are those which hang face upward on the axle, a 
weight below serving to maintain them in equi- 
librium. They can easily be read while the wheel 
is in motion, which is a decided advantage. In 
purchasing a cyclometer, of course the first con- 
sideration is to procure a perfectly accurate one, 
and to secure this one should be obtained having 
absolutely positive action — that is, it must be so 
fitted and its parts so arranged that the revolu- 
tion of the wheel imparts a corresponding action 
to its works, the motion thus being faster or 
slower as the revolution of the wheel is fast or 
slow, but always connected with the wheel's revo- 
lution, and corresponding exactly with it, and 
not depending upon an occasional motion to 
move its works. 

Diet. — It is a happy fact that when one is rid- 
ing regularly, though the rides be never so short, 
the stomach can digest practically everything, 
though the rider had before been a confirmed dys- 
peptic. This is considered more fully in the 
chapter on Cycling for Health. When one is 
doing only ordinary riding, the customary diet 
can be taken freely. If preparing for racing, 
some modifications should be made, for which 
see chapter on Training. 



PRACTICAL POINTS. 169 

Distances. — For measuring distances see CY- 
CLOMETERS, and for distances ^RlDES, LENGTH 
OF. 

Double Machines.— See Sociables, Tandems, 
and Triplets. 

Dress for Cycling. — The most suitable color 
for a cycling suit probably is gray, of lighter or 
darker shade according to individual taste. The 
material should be of medium weight, a good 
homespun or tweed being very desirable. The 
coat may be a Norfolk jacket or a plain short 
sack; the pants with two or three buttons at 
knee ; stockings to match ; low rubber soled 
shoes ; and a cap for winter and helmet for sum- 
mer use. A light flannel or Jersey shirt should 
be worn, and also always a full suit of under- 
wear — in summer the lightest attainable, and in 
cool weather a heavier weight. If preferred, 
Jersey pants can take the place of the cloth ones. 
Complete suits can be had, at fair prices, of ath- 
letic outfitters ; but it costs little or no more to 
select one's own goods and have a suit made to 
order, provided the goods are bought judiciously, 
and are made up by a house doing that class of 
work. 

For ladies' use the same class of material is 
suitable, a good medium weight being a great 
advantage over the very light ones that ladies 



170 CYCLING. 

generally think they must use. The skirt should 
be plain, of rather short walking length, and not 
too full ; the waist should be close-fitting and 
without much trimming, box-plaits looking neat 
and in taste. Low rubber soled shoes are an ad- 
vantage, though many prefer ordinary gaiters. A 
deerstalker or close-fitting English hat is good in 
cool weather, and a neatly trimmed straw with 
not too broad a brim in summer. For riding 
purposes, a pretty close adherence to the " all 
woolen " system of dress is desirable. 

Drink while Riding.— A good many wheel- 
men are disposed to drink very frequently during 
rides in warm weather; but even water, which is 
the ordinary drink, can easily be used to excess 
in such cases, and if one perspires freely some 
liquid is particularly necessary. Exercise, during 
its continuance, and after its cessation, causes a 
sensation of thirst. Frequent drinking, however, 
soon becomes a habit, but neither a satisfactory 
nor advantageous one. The constantly recurring 
sensation of desiring to drink makes one uncom- 
fortable, while too frequent gratification of the 
desire is bad for the system. One can and should 
cultivate moderation in this respect. Water, of 
course, is most available and generally answers ; 
but if one is much parched some simple thing like 
ginger ale, lime juice and soda, acid phosphate 



PRACTICAL POINTS. 17* 

and soda, or milk, will better quench the thirst. 
For exhaustion, an egg beaten up in milk is more 
nourishing. Nothing alcoholic should ever be 
taken during a ride, and only in great moderation 
after it is over. 

Enamel. — This form of japan, now generally 
used as the standard finish for first-class cycles, 
is deservedly popular. It is pleasant to the eye, 
is easily cleaned, and wears well if it has been 
properly put on. Its application requires heat 
and special appliances. For purposes of retouch- 
ing, however, small bottles of excellent liquid 
enamel can be procured from any cycle dealer. 

Food.— See Diet. 

Gearing". — See Two-Speed Gears, also Chapter 
on Speed and Gearing. 

Handles. — The shape and position of the 
handles of a machine have a good deal to do with 
comfort and form in riding. On the safety, the 
handle-bar ought to be curved so far back that 
ordinary elliptical handles of small diameter are 
very satisfactory, the hands resting upon them in 
a natural position, and without strain. Spade 
handles are also very good indeed, and are fitted 
to some safeties. The handles, in either case, 
give an easy and strong grip, and if the bars are 
bent back far enough are thoroughly comfortable. 
As a whole, safeties are better provided Tor in 
this respect than are ordinaries. 



172 CYCLING. 

The regular handle for the ordinary was for a 
long time the " pear." It was fairly comfortable, 
when held lightly, but when grasped tightly, as 
on bad roads or in hill climbing, it was apt to 
hurt the hand, and the grip would not be certain 
if the hand was wet with perspiration. When 
grasped as firmly as is usual with most riders, the 
arm is not in an entirely natural position, and 
consequently tires. The spade handle is a great 
improvement on the pear, especially when ad- 
justable to any angle, and is the most popu- 
lar form. It allows the arm to rest in a natural 
position, and gives a splendid grip. To some 
tastes, however, the T handle is as good or better, 
as the hand seems to have more freedom of 
movement on it. Both spade and T handles 
should be set nearly horizontal. The material 
generally used is vulcanite. 

A novelty in handles is one, elliptical in shape, 
called the "pneumatic." It is composed of rub- 
ber, and hollow for the reception of compressed 
air. This is inserted at a high pressure in the 
process of manufacture by means of a special 
valve arrangement inside, and the whole, when 
sent out, is hermetically sealed. These handles 
will fit on to any ordinary handle-bar, and are 
expected to absorb all vibration. 

The following editorial notes from the Cyclist, 
in April, 1890, by one of the first authorities on 



PRACTICAL POINTS. 173 

cycling, on the material used for handles, are 
worth reproducing. 

" In the earlier days of the bicycle, handles were made of 
wood. They were usually parallel sided, and either round 
or octagonal in section ; in fact, they were neither more nor 
less than ordinary tool handles pressed into the service of 
the bicyclist. When new they were varnished and smooth, 
but rain, perspiration, and the knocking about they usually 
got soon destroyed their fine surface, left them rough, and 
frequently, after a spill, jagged, or even cracked, or, what was 
worse, broken in two and completely useless. From these 
crude handles, a special shape — now known as the pear 
shape — gradually arose, being usually turned in ebony, or in 
some other dark wood stained to represent ebony. This 
was an improvement upon the first, but although the wood 
was better selected, and less liable to break, it was still open 
to the drawbacks incident to the use of that material ; and 
when an enterprising horn-turner introduced handles made 
of buffalo horn they were seized upon with avidity, and very 
soon became the recognized handles upon all good machines. 
About this time, too, ivory was introduced and used in a few 
instances, but, although beautiful at first, the expense and 
the liability to turn yellow in the course of time caused its 
popularity to be but short lived. 

" Horn has many advantages over wood. It is smoother, 
less liable to crack or chip, and retains its polish under 
all weathers for a much greater length of time. The 
earlier horn handles were small, owing to the strictly 
limited dimensions of the material. Then pressed 
horn was used, which enabled handles of a somewhat 
larger size to be used. The next material, introduced 
by the Americans, was vulcanite, and this was voted 
an improvement on anything that had gone before. 



174 CYCLING. 

So it was in all respects save one, and that was it was more 
liable to split than wood, and whilst being more expensive, 
a crack on the end produced by a fall was almost certain 
to split it in two. It had the advantage over horn of 
being molded into any shape and size. We have gone on 
since then chiefly using horn, and the principal change that 
has taken place of late years is the alteration in shape from 
the pear, to the elliptical, necessitated by the curved handles 
of the safeties and the T end pieces, which have also been 
very frequently used. There can be very little doubt that 
when placed at the proper angle this form of handle will be 
found hard to beat. The present season has seen another 
movement, and that is in the use of rubber. Rubber 
handles, though we have not mentioned them above, are by 
no means new. They were introduced in America ten years 
ago. We had a pair — in shape they were round like billiard 
balls, a design we much favored at the time and for which 
we still have considerable preference — sent over from the 
States, and for over a year we used them on a 54in. ' D.H.F.' 
We made several tours during that time, and used the 
handles upon many long rides in the height of summer. We 
had every opportunity of testing their value, and our experi- 
ence led us to arrive at the conclusion that if there was one 
point against them it was the fact that in summer riding they 
were not cool to the hands. Indeed, this was the one cause 
for objection. So far from being cool they were just the re- 
verse. Comfortable enough for a mile or two, so soon as 
the hands got heated the rubber surface began to 'pull' 
upon the flesh, and long before the end of a rather lengthy 
ride the palms of the hands became perfectly sore. We 
have, during the past week or two, been using rubber 
handles of later designs, and we find no difference whatever 
in this respect. We would, therefore, point this peculiarity 
out to our readers, so that, if they are taken with the idea of 



PRACTICAL POINTS. 175 

rubber handles, they may be fully prepared to encounter 
this drawback. As vibration insulators we have not a high 
opinion of them. The vibratory movement of a handle-bar 
is so great that the small amount of give possessed by the 
substance of the rubber is absolutely useless to counteract 
it ; as a matter of fact the whole handle moves bodily with 
the movement of the handle-bar. It is not a mere metallic 
tremor which has to be taken up, so that the supposed ad- 
vantage in this respect is, so far as we can ascertain, prac- 
tically nil. Another drawback, too, which exists in rubber 
handles is the fact that when riding a steep hill, and pulling 
heavily upon the handles, they yield to the pull, slightly, it is 
true, but still they do, and this yielding occurs at the time 
when absolute rigidity is most required. In pulling at the 
handles, too, — especially using the under grip, — the effect on 
the skin of the hands already referred to is more frequently 
apparent than at any other time. We have no desire to 
check the use of rubber handles if our friends fancy them, 
but it is our duty to our readers to point out the results of 
our experience with them." 

Hill Climbing.— There is a certain knack 
about hill climbing which is natural to a few, 
but which generally has to be acquired through 
persistent practice, and sometimes is never really 
learned. If acquired, it enables one to climb 
very steep grades, and to take ordinary inclines 
with little effort. 

The first requisite toward acquiring this knack 
is practice, and not only frequently at one hill, 
but at different hills, and at different rates of 
speed. At first, take an easy rise slowly, and 



176 CYCLING. 

with as even a gait as possible, endeavoring to 
reach the summit at the rate adopted at the start. 
If, when near the top, there is energy in reserve a 
slight spurt to the brow of the hill can advanta- 
geously be made, and when the brow is reached the 
speed should be gradually reduced and the wind 
regained while still pedaling. By degrees, the 
average speed in climbing should be quickened, 
but the start ought never to be at a faster gait 
than can be certainly maintained all the way to 
the top, it being much better for the rider, and 
easier in the end, to increase his speed as he nears 
the summit and end with a good spurt. It is a 
little hard at first to climb a hill at any speed, but 
one can improve with practice, and be also much 
improved on the level by it. By degrees stiffer 
grades can be attempted, but of course at a 
slower gait. Practice at a very slow gait is also 
very valuable. In ascending and descending 
hills the question of leg reach is an exceedingly 
important one, not only because a short reach on 
an ordinary means smaller size and consequently 
less resistance ; but chiefly because it is impossi- 
ble to apply all one's power unless the ball of the 
foot firmly grips the pedal when it is at its lowest 
point, for when only the toe reaches the pedal 
perfect ankle action is impossible, and without 
good ankle action a considerable portion of one's 
power is wasted. Practice in acquiring good 



PRACTICAL POINTS. 177 

ankle action is very important for hill climbing. 
Even pedaling should also be learned, and care 
taken - not to apply the power by jerks at the be- 
ginning of each stroke — a fault peculiarly com- 
mon when the reach is too long — but rather to 
apply it evenly and firmly throughout the stroke. 
When power is applied in a jerky fashion, the 
wheel will jump or skid for an instant, and this 
should be strenuously avoided. A position pretty 
well over the work is the most advantageous, and 
with a proper reach and suitable handle-bars, the 
greatest power can be applied while sitting erect. 

Hiring Wheels.— See Renting. 

Home Trainers. — The term " home trainer " is 
sometimes applied to a stand on which a bicycle 
can be placed and held firmly in position so that 
the rider can mount and practice pedaling while 
remaining stationary, the driving-wheel being al- 
lowed to revolve by the use of rollers. A home 
trainer proper, however, is practically a stationary 
bicycle of itself. The one generally used has a 
firm metal base which carries an upright tube. 
In this tube slides a stout rod which carries the 
handle-bar and a short backbone with a saddle. 
The saddle is adjustable in position, and the ver- 
tical rod to which the backbone is attached is 
adjustable for height. Near the base are two 
large revolving metal discs to which the pedals 



178 CYCLING. 

are attached. By means of a simple brake the 
resistance can be indefinitely increased. 

The use of the home trainer gives the best sort 
of indoor exercise, as it affords the same pedal 
motion which is characteristic of cycling, and 
which is so remarkably beneficial with it, and 
because, like cycling, it is equally suited to every 
degree and condition of strength, as it can be 
taken in every stage from the most charming 
moderation to the utmost severity ; while every 
form of exercise, other than cycling, requires from 
the start a certain pronounced effort or violence 
of exertion. 

If the home trainer is used without the brake, 
rapidity of motion can take the place of the 
resistance one meets on the road. For beneficial 
practice, one should pedal just about twice as 
fast as he ordinarily rides, and of course he can 
pedal much faster for short distances. If one 
rides eight miles an hour he ought to pedal that 
distance in half an hour on a home trainer easily. 
That amount done daily will keep one in excel- 
lent condition. For training purposes, a faster 
gait is required. A first-class pedaler can do his 
quarter inside of twenty seconds ; his mile in one 
forty-five ; five miles inside of eleven minutes ; 
ten miles in twenty-two thirty ; and twenty- 
five to twenty-eight miles in an hour. There 
are three hundred and sixty-eight revolutions 



PRACTICAL POINTS. ^79 

to the mile — about the same as a fifty-five inch 
gearing. 

Hotel Rates. — In most states the division offi- 
cers appoint what is called a League hotel in each 
town and city. Cyclists are recommended to 
patronize these houses which, in return, often 
make some reduction from their regular rates. 
To secure this reduction, the current League mem- 
bership ticket must be shown. As, in some cases, 
the reduced rate is (not wholly unnaturally per- 
haps) accompanied by somewhat poorer accom- 
modations than usual, it is sometimes just as well 
not to mention the subject until settling one's 
bill. 

Interchangeability. — This is the system of 
making the parts of cycles by the same dies and 
cutters and finished to the same gauges. When this 
is done, a broken part can be at once replaced, 
and will fit without alteration. The leading 
American makers were among the first to work 
upon this basis, and many others have by degrees 
adopted it. When parts of machines made in this 
way are kept in stock by dealers, it is compara- 
tively easy and inexpensive to replace any part 
that is accidentally broken. 

Lady Cyclists. — Now that the public is gradu- 
ally realizing that one of its greatest needs is 
gentle and pleasurable open air exercise, it is also 



i8o CYCLING. 

learning that women require it even more than 
men ; and still farther, that cycling exactly meets 
all the requirements of the case for both sexes. 
If such a thing were possible, it is even better 
adapted to women and more beneficial to them 
than to men, for there is no other exercise what- 
ever that is so gentle ; so harmonious in its action ; 
so pleasurably stimulating in its effects ; so brac- 
ing in its character ; so entirely free from violence 
or strain upon any part, when taken rationally ; 
so accessible ; so safe ; so practical ; so inexpen- 
sive ; and in such good taste, as cycling. Every 
physician who has made himself familiar with the 
advantages of this particular form of exercise 
highly recommends it, and those who have learned 
practically what it does for the system are the 
most pronounced in favoring it for women. What 
it can do for them is testified to by those who 
never knew what good health was until they 
learned to cycle. See chapter on Cycling for 
Health. 

Lamps.— A lighted lamp should always be 
carried after dark, not only for the rider's guid- 
ance but as a warning to those traveling on the 
road. In many towns it is obligatory by law. 
To secure a good light, the lamp must be of good 
size, its wick kept well trimmed, and the reflec- 
tor clean, If these things are done, and proper 



PRACTICAL POINTS. 1.8 1 

oil is used, it is not absolutely necessary, though 
desirable, to have a lamp with a spring back to 
take up vibration, and prevent jolting out. As a 
matter of fact, however, very few care to pay 
much attention to the care of lamps, and some- 
times the greatest care will not keep them from 
jolting out, so a good anti-vibration lamp is quite 
an advantage. The cheapest grades are seldom 
a good investment as they are not so carefully 
made, and have not the little but important con- 
veniences for filling and lighting that the better 
ones have. There should always be a special 
opening for filling, and a slide on one side for 
ease of lighting. Safeties and tricycles always 
have a suitable lamp bracket. On an ordinary 
the lamp can be hung on the axle, or if certain 
cyclometers are used can be hung from them by 
means of an attachment furnished with them ; or 
a long rod can be attached to the left fork by 
means of a clamp and the lamp hung on a short 
horizontal rod at the bottom of the hanger so 
formed. 

Law of the Road.— See Rights of Cy- 
clists. 

League of American Wheelmen. — This is 
the national union of the cyclists of the United 
States. It was organized at Newport, R. I., on 
May 31, i88o ? and numbers over twelve thousand 



1 82 CYCLING. 

members. Its objects, and the advantages of 
membership in it, are officially stated as follows: 

" The League of American Wheelmen is an organization 
to promote the general interests of cycling ; to ascertain, 
defend, and protect the rights of wheelmen ; to facilitate 
touring, and to secure improvement in the condition of the 
public roads and highways. 

" The L. A. W., as a national organization, includes all 
State Divisions, which bear relations to the national govern- 
ment very similar to those between State and Nation in the 
political world. The States not yet possessed of sufficient 
membership (twenty-five) to organize a separate division are 
governed directly from headquarters, as are the Territories, 
by the nation, politically considered. 

" The claims advanced by the L. A. W. upon your patron- 
age are of two kinds, abstract and concrete. In the abstract, 
it is your duty to yourself and to your fellows to so place 
yourself that mutual assistance may be obtained in the 
easiest manner, and that you may not reap the harvest of 
your comrades' disinterested labor without contributing to 
its support. Many have said : ' I can avail myself of all the 
advantages accruing to cycling which have been obtained 
by the League, and need not pay my dollar to join the organ- 
ization.' It is very true that a few privileges obtained by the 
League are granted to all wheelmen, irrespective of their 
membership in the League, but very many more are obtained 
only by showing the League membership ticket. 

" In the concrete, there are offered to wheelmen advan- 
tages as follows : 

" Every member receives a weekly newspaper ( The Bi- 
cycling World and L. A. W. Bulletin), which contains all 
the cycling news of the day, together with hints, suggestions, 
etc., to riders, descriptions of new machines, and correspond- 



PRACTICAL POINTS. 183 

ence from all parts of the country, This paper has always 
commanded a yearly subscription price of one dollar. 

" Every member receives a membership ticket, which is a 
sufficient introduction to any local officer (consul) of the 
L. A. W., and voucher for the right to reduced rates in the 
many hotels with which the League has a contract. 

" Every member acquires the right to legal protection by 
his State Division ; or, especially if involving a national 
issue, by the main organization. This right is by no means 
an empty one, for the history of the League attests the 
activity of interests averse to our recreation, and the danger 
of touring without this offered backing. 

"Every member is given every facility for obtaining infor- 
mation concerning roads, hotels, and distances. A number 
of the Divisions, notably New York, Connecticut, Massachu- 
setts, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Rhode Island, New 
Jersey, California, Michigan, and Indiana, have issued road- 
books, which are given to members free of expense. Many 
of these could not be purchased for three dollars if the 
labor upon them had been paid a reasonable price. 

" The League has made it possible for a cycler to ride 
the wheel on any street or highway in the United States. 

" The League has upon its roll of membership more than 
twelve thousand wheelmen, and the fraternal benefit is ex- 
tremely valuable. The National Meet and the various State 
Meets draw the members together in friendly intercourse, 
and are the source of much pleasure and enjoyment. 

" The League has an arrangement with the leading hotel 
in every city and town in America, and members can pro- 
cure liberal discounts by showing ticket of membership. 
More than the League dues may be saved in a single day. 

" The League has adopted a uniform, made of the best 
selected stock. This is furnished to members at a very 
moderate price by the contractors. 



1 84 CYCLING. 

" Among the practical work done by the League may be 
mentioned the prosecution of very many cases in which the 
rights of wheelmen were sought to be invaded. The pas- 
sage of the so-called ' Liberty Bill,' by the New York Legis- 
lature, is a case in point. This was framed and pushed 
through by officers of the L. A. W. This measure, in brief, 
provides that no laws or local restrictions shall be enacted 
against the use of the wheel in the State of New York, that 
are not equally applicable to vehicles drawn by horses. 
New York wheelmen reaped the advantages accruing to an 
extent not anticipated. Central Park was immediately 
opened. The highways of the State were made pleasant to 
ride on, because farmers and other drivers knew that the 
Legislature had made wheelmen their equal. Other states 
have been worked by wheelmen, and bills of a like nature 
have been passed. 

" The moral force of numbers is incalculable. It is a 
comparatively easy matter to get justice when ten thousand 
men ask it. In this age the effort of the individual counts 
for less and less, and the concerted efforts of many for more 
and more. Often when the public, or even local boards and 
councils, take little notice of one rider or of a club of several, 
they can see the national organization extending into their 
legal and political neighborhoods without glasses. Even 
one wheelman with the League ready organized to back 
him is, if not a majority, at least a minority of sufficient con- 
sequence to be respected. The presence even of this body 
of thousands, combined and officered for the purpose of 
securing rights, has been found very potent by those who 
have been in positions practically to know. Every cycler 
should add his name and give us numbers that will com- 
mand respect in the courts and in legislative halls. 

"Before the formation of the League the authorities of 
Boston, Providence, Hartford, and Brooklyn had in turn 



PRACTICAL POINTS. 185 

denied bicyclers the rights of the streets ; and they had been 
brought to recede from positions not tenable in law or jus- 
tice. But the result in the first only of these cities was 
brought about by local influences ; in the other three cities the 
freedom of the streets was gained with the aid of more or 
less concerted general aid of wheelmen. 

" The League exercises a healthy supervision of racing on 
the wheel, and provides a code of rules for the best govern- 
ment of this branch of the sport. Through the influence of 
the League, amateur cycle racing has been kept above the 
level of the contests held in kindred sports. 

" The crying need of the hour is for better roads. To obtain 
reform in this direction is one of the objects of the League. 
Already much work has been done, but there is very much 
yet to be accomplished. Plans are on foot for the syste- 
matic pursuit of this object, and before long a movement will 
be made all along the line. We need the co-operation of 
every cycler in this laudable undertaking. In this work the 
horsemen will join hands with us, but cyclers will take the 
lead. It is proposed, not only to show townships the advant- 
age of good highways, but to compel them to build and 
maintain the very best. Let every wheelman put his shoulder 
to the wheel. If the League can have twenty thousand 
members it can do better work. 

" League workers in several States, notably Massachusetts, 
New York, and Rhode Island, have secured the passage of 
laws requiring townships to erect guide-boards at cross-roads 
and forks. 

" The League invites every amateur cycler in America to 
join its ranks ; but he is doubly welcome who contributes his 
work and his influence, as well as his dollar, to the cause. 
There are advantages to be had in membership ; but he who 
says, ' What can I do for the cause ? ' is a more valuable 
man to cycling than he who says, ' What am I going to get 
for my dollar ? ' 



1 86 CYCLING. 

" Any amateur wheelman, over eighteen years of age, in 
good standing, may become a member of this League. The 
League defines an Amateur as follows : 

"* ARTICLE V. Section 4. — An amateur is one who 
has never engaged in, nor assisted in, nor taught cycling, nor 
any recognized athletic exercise for money or other remu- 
neration, nor knowingly competed with or against a profes- 
sional for a prize of any description. 

" ' To prevent any misunderstanding in interpreting the 
above, the League draws attention to the following explana- 
tion : A cyclist ceases to be an amateur by — 

" ' (a) Engaging in cycling, or any other recognized ath- 
letic exercise, or personally teaching, training, or coaching 
any person therein, either as a means of obtaining a liveli- 
hood, or for a stated bet, money prize, or gate money. 

" ' (b) Competing with, or pace-making for, or having the 
pace made by a professional in public or for a prize. 

'"(c) Selling, realizing upon, or otherwise turning into 
cash any prize won by him. 

" ' (d) Accepting, directly or indirectly, any remuneration, 
compensation, or expenses whatever, from a cycle manufac- 
turer, agent, or other person interested in the trade or sport 
for cycle riding. 

" ' (<?) This rule does not apply to the teaching of the 
elements of bicycling solely for the purpose of effecting the 
sale of a bicycle. 

" ' The League recognizes as athletic exercises all the sports 
under the jurisdiction of the Amateur Athletic Union of 
America, viz., running, walking, jumping, pole leaping, put- 
ting the shot, throwing the hammer, throwing of weights, 
tug of war, and also, rowing, boxing, sparring, lacrosse, polo, 
roller, and ice skating.' 

" A member of the League is at the same time a member 
of the Division within whose limits he resides at the time of 
joining. 



PRACTICAL POINTS. I&7 

" The Initiation Fee is One Dollar. During the first half 
of the year (May i to October 31) the dues are One Dollar. 
During the second half (Nov. 1 to April 30) the dues are 
Fifty Cents. In May, June, July, August, September, or 
October, inclose $2.00 with application. In November, De- 
cember, January, February, March, or April, inclose $1.50. 
These sums include the initiation fee and the annual dues. 
All memberships expire April 30 in each year." 

As many cycling clubs have desired to become 
members of the League as units, and to exercise 
an influence in League affairs in some propor- 
tion to their numerical strength, aside from the 
rights of their individual members, provision has 
been made to meet these ends, and the following 
official statement issued : 

" A League Club is one whose entire membership is en- 
rolled with the League of American Wheelmen. In becom- 
ing a League Club the organization attests its loyalty to and 
faith in an institution that fosters and promotes cycling, and 
one that has made it possible for a wheel to be ridden on 
any highway in the country despite the opposition of those 
who are its pronounced enemies. 

" Article IX. of the League Constitution reads as follows : 
' Any wheeling club in the United States that shall have in 
its by-laws a provision requiring every active member to be 
a member of the League of American Wheelmen, and that 
shall file annually with the Secretary of the L. A. W. a cer- 
tificate thereof, shall become a League Club, and entitled to 
all the privileges accorded League Clubs under this Consti- 
tution. The number of votes that any League Club shall be 
entitled to cast, through its delegates, at any Constitutional 
Convention, shall be one vote for every member of said club 



1 88 CYCLING. 

in good standing upon the rolls of the League. Repre- 
sentatives from League Clubs shall file with the Secretary a 
certificate of their election, signed by the President and 
Secretary of the club which they represent.' 

" (The following is a common form of by-law: This 
club shall be a League club, under the rules of the League 
of American Wheelmen, and each member shall become 
also a member of the League. The initiation fees and dues 
of the L. A. W. shall be paid out of the club treasury, and 
each member of the club shall pay his share of these dues to 
the treasurer. New members, not already connected with the 
League, shall be proposed for membership by the Secretary.) 

" The Constitution also provides that any League Club of 
not less than twenty members may elect a Representative to 
the State Board of Officers and may elect an additional Rep- 
resentative for each additional fifty members. Thus do 
League Clubs exercise power and influence in the manage- 
ment of League affairs and become closely associated with 
their conduct. The State Board of Officers elects delegates 
to the National Assembly. 

"League Clubs have the positions of honor in all parades 
held under League auspices. 

" A copy of the official organ of the League is sent to each 
and every League Club. 

" After qualifying as a League Club by the passage of a 
by-law required, the proper officer should send to the Secre- 
tary of the League a full list of the names of all who are not 
already L. A. W. members, together with the fee and dues 
for each. In cases of this sort it is not necessary to have a 
separate application blank for each applicant, but all the 
names can be placed in one list and vouched for by two 
League members, or three citizens if League members are 
not to be found. In every case the full name, post-office ad- 
dress, and Club affiliation should be plainly stated. 



PRACTICAL POINTS. 189 

" When sending the list of names, the Secretary of the 
Club must file at this office a certificate giving the name of 
the Club, date of organization, date of qualifying, name and 
address of secretary, list of officers, and give address to 
which the club copy of the official organ shall be sent. 

" The secretary will enter the Club upon his books, giving 
it a number, and will publish application in the Bulletin." 

Learning to Ride. — See Chapter on Learning. 

Legal Rights of Cyclists. — (See also Rights 
of Cyclists on the Road.) A cycle is a car- 
riage and has the same rights and privileges to 
the use of the road that other species of carriages 
have. It has no right whatever to the use of 
sidewalks or side paths, and if a rider is ever 
forced upon them by an unrideable piece of road, 
he should exercise the utmost caution not to 
offend pedestrians, and should courteously re- 
quest space when necessary to pass any one. If 
forced to use a path, one should never noisily 
warn off pedestrians by use of bell or whistle, but 
should ride slowly, and politely ask for right of 
way. On the road the cyclist should remember 
that he has a light, easy-going steed, and should 
not attempt to force every vehicle, especially 
heavy ones, out of their tracks, if he can safely 
find room to pass them. When he has not room, 
a polite request will secure the needed space far 
more easily than a whistle blast. Whistles are 
often valuable for warning ; but, when practic- 



190 CYCLING. 

able, it is better to use the voice. It is highly 
desirable, too, that wheelmen should observe the 
usual rules of the road, and not neglect them, as 
so many are tempted to do, because they require 
so little room that it is quite as easy to pass on 
the wrong side as on the right one. 

Lending Machines.— Never do it. 

Light Machines.— See Weight of Cycles. 

Lubricants.— See Chains on Cycles, and Oil. 

Luggage Carriers. — Light skeleton frames, 
fitted to attach to cycles to carry baggage, can be 
procured from cycle dealers. They may be 
attached to the handle-bar, steering post, or rear 
frame of a safety ; the handle-bar or backbone 
of an ordinary, and to the steering post or be- 
hind the saddle of tricycles. Various bags made 
to use in such positions can also be had, and with 
these appliances a very considerable amount of 
baggage can be carried. 

Maps.— See Road BOOKS. 

National Cyclists' Union. — An English or- 
ganization resembling the League of American 
Wheelmen, organized to promote cycling inter- 
ests generally. 

The N. C. U. also gives legal assistance to cy- 
clists when necessary, and puts up danger boards 



PRACTICAL POINTS. 191 

on unsafe hills. The annual dues are five shil- 
lings. 

Oil, Oil-can, Oiling. — Good oil for lubricating 
purposes can be had at a moderate price from any 
cycle dealer, and when one is not accessible good 
oil used for high grade machinery will answer. 
For illuminating purposes, it is more difficult to 
attain good results if the oil is used just as it is 
bought. Satisfaction, however, will generally 
follow if signal oil is used and about a tablespoon- 
ful of kerosene is mixed with the amount put into 
the lamp each time it is filled. It also answers 
very well to dissolve a small quantity of camphor 
in the oil instead of using kerosene. 

For oiling purposes, a small, well filled oiler 
should always be carried in the tool bag, and a 
larger, common oil-can, costing five or ten cents, 
should be kept standing in the wheel house for 
convenience of use. It is not necessary to oil 
very freely. If any runs out it should be carefully 
wiped off. It is commonly said that one oiling 
every two hundred miles is sufficient for an 
ordinary, and smaller wheels oftener, as their size 
decreases. This, of course, is for ball bearings. 
Other bearings require much more frequent atten- 
tion. Distance alone, however, is not a perfectly 
safe guide, as a machine may stand idle for long 
periods between rides and the oil work out. A 



*9 2 CYCLING. 

very few drops tolerably frequently is perhaps 
the safest method. 

Pedaling.— See Chapter on Correct Pedal- 
ing. 

Pedals. — All first grade cycles are always, and 
second grade cycles usually, fitted with ball 
pedals. The pedal pin is in the center of the 
pedal, and one end of it is firmly attached 
to the crank. Just outside of where it attaches 
to the crank is a grove for one row of balls, and 
near the extreme outer end is the other groove. 
Sometimes, for the sake of lightness and appear- 
ance, the pin is uncovered between the bearings, 
and sometimes a very light metal tube incases it. 
The latter form is rather to be preferred, as the 
pedal bearings keep clean for a longer time when 
it- is used, and it only adds an ounce or so in 
weight. In appearance it is perhaps a trifle less 
graceful. On a new form of pedal, however, called 
the " centrum," the pin only runs about half way 
through, and carries a single bearing near its end, 
the object being to reduce friction and save in 
weight. 

In the pedals, the feet press upon either two 
bars of rubber, or on two of thin metal with 
serrated edges, or teeth. Square rubbers are 
generally used on all roadster machines, and are 
perfectly satisfactory for the purpose. The other 



PRACTICAL POINTS. 193 

sort are called "rat-trap " pedals, and are a trifle 
lighter. They are fitted principally to racing 
machines. 

Pedal Slippers. — These are contrivances de- 
signed to prevent the foot from slipping when rat- 
trap pedals are not used. They are curved pieces 
of metal made to fit around and partially over 
each rubber, and present on the upper side two 
rows of teeth similiar to those of rat-trap pedals. 
Formerly, round, fluted, rubbers were used on 
pedals, and there was then far more chance of 
slipping than with square rubbers. Such mechan- 
ical aids are, however, by no means a necessity 
if a rider has a proper reach and cultivates good 
ankle action. 

Position. — Undoubtedly, that is the best posi- 
tion on a cycle which is the most comfortable 
and safe, and which gives the best control, and 
greatest ease of propulsion. The question is how 
far fore or aft the saddle is to be placed in order 
to meet all these requirements to the greatest 
extent. Some hold a theory that a perfectly 
vertical action is the only proper one, as they say 
that it enables the rider to utilize all his weight, 
and so lightens his muscular work. They some- 
times carry this theory so far as to place the sad- 
dle almost in front of the pedals, which arrange- 
ment makes the pedaling even slightly backward 



194 CYCLING. 

in direction. In this position, the rider's weight 
is principally relied on, as he is forced on his 
pedals. But the naturally erect position one has 
in walking is changed into a constant forward 
inclination of the body which, physiologically, is 
bound to be wearing ; the natural movement of 
walking which moves the feet forward in advance 
of the body, to receive its weight, is superseded 
by an unnatural position and motion ; fine ankle 
action is out of the question ; good muscular 
work is done at a great disadvantage, and there 
follows a loss of power which only very powerful 
riders can bear. On the rear-driving safety the 
steering is also rendered more sensitive by this 
position. 

The notion that weight can do the bulk of the 
work on a cycle is erroneous. A skillful rider, in 
proper position, be he never so light, can easily 
outride a much heavier and more powerful man 
who is too far forward, and who depends on his 
weight. Of course it is desirable to secure a posi- 
tion in which a rider's weight can be used to 
advantage; but to do so at the expense of ability 
to utilize muscular energy to the greatest advant- 
age is a serious blunder. Experience shows 
every day that it is not weight which tells. Skill 
is far and away the first requirement for success 
in any sort of riding, and outside of men in train- 
ing, light and middle weight riders are pretty 



PRACTICAL POINTS. 195 

sure to be able to "do up" their heavier com- 
panions. 

On the other hand, it is almost, though not 
quite, as bad to be too far behind one's work, and 
so approach the ineffective position of the old 
velocipede or " boneshaker." If on an ordinary 
with two inch rake, one should sit comfortably 
on the middle of his saddle. On a tricycle, the 
saddle should be far enough forward to reach the 
handles comfortably. With a safety, the question 
is a little harder to settle. The nearer the rider's 
weight is carried to his driving-wheel axle the 
easier will the machine steer ; but, placing the 
saddle too far back will take too much weight off 
the steerer, make the handles difficult to reach, 
and the pedaling awkward. Placing the saddle 
too far forward makes the steering less steady, 
and the action too vertical. For road riding pur- 
poses, a position a few inches back of the crank 
axle is undoubtedly the best. The action is then 
near enough to the vertical to allow of the best 
use of all the rider's weight, and far enough from 
it to admit of good ankle action, and the best 
application of muscular power. On this point 
the following advice given by a firm of English 
manufacturers is worth noting : 

" Place the machine on level ground, lay a straight lath 
across the handles, from near the center attach a string with 
a small weight at the end to form a plumb-line. If the ma- 



196 CYCLING. 

chine is correctly proportioned this line should show the 
handles, not the bar, to be four inches in front of the crank 
axle. To find the correct position of the saddle fix the 
plumb-line to the point of the saddle, and let it drop a little 
lower than the crank axle ; this will show the relative vertical 
positions of the two. 

" The point of the saddle should be from 2\ inches to 4 
inches behind the crank axle. Riding with a saddle over the 
crank axle, or in what is termed the vertical position, seems 
at first to be a most powerful attitude, but in reality is not so, 
and is now discarded by all our best riders. It is a thor- 
oughly bad position, and throws the rider on the narrow 
point of the saddle, instead of on to the broad part at the 
back. 

"A rider should sit well to the back of his saddle, which 
should be well behind his work, and push out in front, using 
the saddle to push from. 

"All the crack riders of the day ride more or less in this 
style. 

" This style of riding is one of the greatest hints in cycling ; 
and if our readers do not find that they get along better with 
it at first, we most strongly advise them to persevere. 

"The height of the handles may be found in the following 
manner : The rider should sit on the machine with his body 
inclined very slightly forward, and his arms straight ; the 
handles should then be of such a height that he can conven- 
iently grasp them. Handle-bars should not be longer than 
26 inches. Avoid extremes in length of cranks and height 
of gearing. From 6 to 6£ inches is a convenient crank 
throw, and from 54 to 60 inches are good gearings for all- 
round work." 

In addition to these suggestions, the following 
letter from the greatest'of road riders, M. A. Hoi- 



PRACTICAL POINTS. 197 

bein, printed by the manufacturers above quoted, 
is of considerable value. He says : 

" In the first place, it is astonishing that out of the very 
large number of cyclists, but a very small percentage have 
their saddles in the right position (viz., far enough back), 
which will enable them to use their power to the greatest 
advantage. It is a very prevalent, though erroneous idea 
that the vertical position is the correct one ; at first sight the 
theory certainly seems feasible, but that it is incorrect is 
easily proved by a few trials. With the vertical position a 
rider drives his machine by his weight, and more or less 
stamps on his pedals ; it may be possible to get a good pace, 
but at an immense cost of power, and cannot be sustained 
for any considerable length of time. It is also impossible to 
acquire a good ankle action with this position. 

" The position of the saddle should vary according to the 
nature of the road to be ridden upon. For a moderately 
hilly district, the peak of the saddle should be about three 
inches behind the center of the crank axle, whilst for flat 
roads (such as the Great North Road), six inches is allowed 
to be the best position. Always sit well back and push 
from the broadest part of the saddle. 

" Many riders who persistently stick to the vertical posi- 
tion say they have tried their machines with the saddle six 
inches behind, but cannot get on at all. The reason of this 
is, that they jump at once from one extreme to the other ; if, 
instead of doing so, the rider will come back gradually — say 
two inches at a time — he will thus become accustomed to 
the different position by degrees, and I am quite sure that 
with each stage of going farther back the rider will experi- 
ence a corresponding increase of pace. 

" Length of Reach. — Care should be taken not to let the 
leg be at full stretch, but have free play ; the best criterion 



I9» CYCLING. 

is, I think, that the rider should be able to reach the pedal — 
when at its lowest point — with his heel. 

"Height of Handle-bar. — Another great mistake is having 
the handle-bar too low. It is usual for it to be on a level 
with the saddle ; if, however, it is raised from one to two 
inches higher than the saddle, and the handles bent well 
round, a much more comfortable, and certainly more elegant, 
position will be obtained, and one that will enable the rider 
to accomplish long journeys with very much less distress. 
Low handle-bars are all very well on the path, but out of 
place on the road. 

" Pedaling. — Great attention should be given to the 
acquiring of a good ankle action. Any one can do it when 
thinking about it, but endeavor to find out whether you are 
doing it at other times. Some cyclists pedal naturally; if 
not, by perseverance it can be acquired more or less by all, 
and it will undoubtedly pay for any trouble necessary to 
acquire it. 

"In long distance riding, it is not a matter of speed but 
endurance ; therefore, always try and ride as easily as possi- 
ble, saving yourself in every possible way. Avoid all plug- 
ging ; any motion above the hips is loss of power, and there 
should be very little motion of the body. 

" In conclusion, I think if a rider will give the foregoing 
hints a fair trial, he w r ill ride easier, faster, and do long 
journeys comfortably." 

Racing. — The preparation for racing is treated 
at length in the chapter on Training, and hints 
about racing are also given there. Outside of 
that, a question that has been agitated a good 
deal will be touched on here. It is whether, in a 
contest, the competitors ought to seek to make 



PRACTICAL POINTS. 199 

fast time as well as to win ; or, whether they 
should endeavor to win without regard to the 
time made. The first method is called " riding 
all the way " — that is, at great speed ; the second 
is called a " waiting" race. 

The plan of " riding all the way " has been ad- 
vocated on account of many races, in which the 
competitors were much afraid of each other, hav- 
ing degenerated into mere crawls, and the final 
spurt relied on for success. This has come about 
naturally, because it is well understood in all 
racing that it is a great advantage to be in a 
position to watch one's competitors, and also that 
it is much easier to ride when some one is just a 
trifle before you, or " making the pace," as it is 
called. Moreover, it is unnatural to expect a man 
to tire himself unnecessarily in order to make 
slightly faster time, if he can win just as easily 
while expending less energy. Records are best 
attained under other conditions, and many a race 
has been won from stronger riders by means of 
superior head work, or generalship. 

It follows from these considerations that a man 
with good judgment will seek to keep in a posi- 
tion in which he can watch his competitors, until 
the time for his final effort comes. If particularly 
fast time is sought, extra prizes, or other induce- 
ments, must be offered for it. Even then, how- 
ever, it is not always secured, as many men pre- 



200 CYCLING. 

fer to make sure of winning than to set the pace 
with a view to fast time, and then be beaten on 
the final spurt by some one who has followed 
and watched for his opportunity. 

Railway Charges.— Most railroads formerly 
made exorbitant charges for the transportation of 
cycles. This annoyance 'has been largely reme- 
died, and in many cases entirely removed, through 
the action of the League of American Wheelmen, 
whose Transportation Committee have the matter 
in charge. Many roads now make no charge 
when the cycle accompanies its owner ; while 
others have merely nominal rates. 

Record of Riding. — See Books for Records. 

Renting Cycles. — In many localities it is pos- 
sible to hire machines at a fair rental for almost 
any period from an hour to a season ; but, if one 
rides much, it is as cheap, as well as immeasurably 
pleasanter, to own a mount. Rented machines 
often get such hard usage that some dealers have 
discontinued renting. Though not sending ma- 
chines upon the road, they, in many cases, still 
provide both wheels and places for teaching pur- 
poses. 

Repairing. — A cycle has so many delicately 
adjusted parts that it requires a little constant 
Attention (a trained glance generally suffices) to 



PRACTICAL POINTS. 20 1 

see that it is kept in order. If properly watched, 
cleaned, oiled, and adjusted, the chances are that, 
if it is a really good wheel, nothing short of out- 
right accident will make a visit to the repair shop 
necessary. But if the wheel gets little, or no, 
proper care, it will need occasional overhauling — 
perhaps once a season. The safety is much more 
complicated than the ordinary ; it gets more dirt 
on its bearings ; its chain wears ; it is harder to 
clean ; and it gets rougher usage. It therefore 
must have considerable care, or it will need more 
skilled attention. It is a good plan not to do 
anything to a wheel that is not clearly necessary, 
as bearings once taken apart are rarely adjusted 
properly by a novice, and a machine that is much 
fussed over will sooner need overhauling by a 
repairer than will one that is not taken to pieces. 

Ride, Length of.— A good many hints on this 
point are given in the chapters on Learning and 
Riding. Even those, however, who have little 
to learn on those subjects cannot realize too fully 
that short, brisk, regular rides are the most bene- 
ficial, and soon fit a man for long hard ones, 
while riding that is occasional only does little to 
develop strength. When one rides infrequently, 
he cannot be too cautious about the amount he 
does at one time. 

Riding Suits,— See Press, 



Rights of Cyclists on the Road.— The right 
of the cycle on the road is the same as that of 
other vehicles, — neither more nor less, — and is so 
held by the courts. Wheelmen have, in some 
places, been put to considerable labor and ex- 
pense to establish this fact ; but have done so 
with uniform success, chiefly by means of the 
League. Of course, when the cycle makes its 
first appearance in new regions, the blind conser- 
vatism which seems to be inherent in human 
nature is apt to breed prejudice against it ; but 
moderation and experience, with firm prosecution 
of any case of infringement of rights, will soon put 
things on a right basis. 

In many localities wheelmen have been accorded 
advantages much in excess of their rights. They 
have been granted the privilege of using side 
paths and even paved walks ; no objection has 
been made to their coasting on crowded bills, and 
forcing other vehicles from their track: and they 
have been permitted to ride at racing speed, even 
on crowded highways. Such concessions have 
had the effect of making many wheelmen very 
careless of the rights of pedestrians, and of those 
of drivers of wagons and carriages, while asserting 
their own rights and privileges to the full. By 
so doing they have intensified the prejudice al- 
ready existing in some quarters against the sport, 
and have aroused the prejudice of others whose 



PRACTICAL POINTS. 203 

rights have been infringed by being rudely driven 
from their path, or portion of the road, by the 
necessity of giving ample space to some reckless 
rider. It is not only bad form and worse manners 
to act in this way, but it is most wretched policy, 
for it injures the whole body of wheelmen in the 
eyes of the public. 

Where roads are bad and wheelmen are per- 
mitted to use side paths, they ought to recipro- 
cate the privilege accorded them by extending 
every possible courtesy to pedestrians, never 
warning them off the path by bell or whistle, but, 
rather by riding slowly and requesting the pedes- 
trian to kindly allow their passage, and thanking 
them when they have done so. There are cyclists 
who are thoughtless in these matters, and there 
are others who pretend to believe that it is pusil- 
lanimous to extend such courtesies ; but they ought 
to remember that they are on a path only by cour- 
tesy, and are bound, in common decency, to return 
that courtesy. 

The following concise statement of the " Law 
of the Road " is from the pen of Frank C. Park, 
Esq., by permission of the Bicycling World in 
which paper it first appeared. 

" The Law of the Road is a rule of action governing every 
person passing along public highways. Whether walking, 
driving, or riding in a vehicle along any public thoroughfare, 
carriage-way, horse-way, or foot-way, he is in law bound to 
obey the law of the road, and he violates it at his peril. 



604 CYCLING. 

" i. Turn to the right. When parties driving vehicles meet 
on a highway, it is the duty of each to seasonably bear or keep 
to the right. [III. Mass. 360 ; 28 Mich. 32 ; 14 N. H. 307.] 

" The law imposes this duty ; but his disregard of that 
duty will not justify the traveler who may be on the proper 
side of the road in voluntarily and carelessly permitting him- 
self to be injured in person or property, and then seeking to 
recover damages therefor from his fellow traveler who was 
wrongfully on the left of the center of the road. [12 Met. 
415; 25 Me. 39.] 

" Proof that one party was driving on the left of the road 
does not therefore make him liable for the damages that 
occur, — the other party must use ordinary care to avoid 
injury. [III. Mass. 360; 7 Wis. 527 ; 12 Mo. App. 354.] 

" The statutes of the different States vary as to whether 
travelers shall turn to the right of the center of the road or 
the traveled part thereof. The New York statutes declare 
that vehicles meeting in a public highway shall seasonably 
turn 'to the right of the center of the road.' And the 
' center of the road ' is construed by the courts to mean 
' the center of the worked part of the road.' [7 Wend. 
186.] 

" The statutes of Maine, Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, Rhode 
Island, and Wisconsin require vehicles meeting on public 
highways to turn to the ' right of the middle of the traveled 
part.' The statutes of all the other States except a few of 
the Eastern, correspond with that of Wisconsin. That of 
New Jersey simply declares ' keep to the right.' " 

" In winter, when the depth of the snow renders it impos- 
sible to ascertain where the center or worked part of the 
road is, vehicles are only required to turn to the right of the 
center of the beaten or traveled track, without reference to 
the worked part of the way. [8 Allen 213 ; 16 Barb. 613 ; 8 
Met. 213.J 



PRACTICAL POINTS. 205 

" When it is impracticable to turn to the right in meeting 
another on a public way, one traveler should stop a reason- 
able time to allow the other to pass ; but ordinary care does 
not require a traveler to so stop. [14 N. H. 307 ; 23 Wis. 
287.] 

" When a traveler cannot safely turn to the right on meet- 
ing another vehicle, the law will not hold him guilty of 
negligence for not undertaking impossibilities. [5 B. Mon. 

25-J 

" When vehicles meet at the junction of two streets, the 
rule turn to the right does not apply ; but each person 
must use reasonable care to avoid collisions. [12 Allen 84.J 

" Common vehicles meeting street or railway cars may 
turn either to the right or left. More care, however, is re- 
quired on the part of the common vehicle driver, if he is 
driving on the rails of a street railway, to avoid collision, 
than is required in meeting other vehicles. [15 N. Y. 380; 
3 Bosvv. 314.] 

"2. May use any part of the road. A party having 
before him the entire roadway free from carriages or other 
obstructions, and having no notice of any carriages behind 
him, in season to stop, or to change his course or position, is 
at liberty to travel upon such parts of the way as suits his 
convenience or pleasure, and no blame can be imputed to 
him. [40 Me. 66.] 

" 3. May cross road. A person may cross a road or pass 
on the left side of it, for the purpose of turning up to a 
house, store, or other object, on that side of the road ; but 
he must not obstruct or interrupt another lawfully passing 
on that side ; if he does he acts at his peril, and must answer 
for the consequence of his violation of duty. In such a case 
he must pass before or wait until the person on that side of 
the way has passed on. [11 Me. 8 ; 1 Pick. 345.] 

" 4. Traveling in same direction. When two persons are 



2o6 CYCLING. 

traveling in the same direction, the foremost one is not 
bound to turn out for the other, if there is room for the lat- 
ter to pass on either side, [i Watts, 360.] If there is not 
room to pass on either side, the foremost traveler should 
yield an equal share of the way, on request made, if this is 
practicable. But if it is not practicable, then they must 
defer passing until they reach a more favorable ground. If 
the leading traveler then refuses to comply with the request 
to permit the other to pass him, he will be answerable for 
such refusal. [25 La. "Ann. 236; 40 Me. 64.] 

" 5. Travelers on horseback. A traveler on horseback 
meeting another horseman or vehicle is not required to turn 
out in any particular direction to avoid collision. He 
must only exercise prudent care to avoid collision. [24 
Wend. 465.] 

" A horseman should yield all the traveled way to a wag- 
oner. [2 D. & Chip. 128 ; 23 Pa. St. 196.] 

" As a person on horseback may turn out on any side that 
suits his convenience, the driver of a vehicle is not therefore 
bound to watcn and take the opposite side, but may disre- 
gard the horseman altogether and occupy the whole of the 
traveled part of the road. 

" 6. Rate of speed. Driving at immoderate speed is cul- 
pable negligence, and if injury results from it, without fault 
on the part of the person injured, the author of it will be 
liable therefor. Driving on a public way at the rate of a 
mile in four minutes has been held unlawful and negligent. 
[Kenedy vs. Way, Bright 186.] 

" The same ruling, however, would not apply in the case 
of bicycles, as they are capable of being stopped quicker, and 
while in motion can be controlled better than a horse. But 
a bicyclist riding through the streets of a thickly populated 
city could hardly ride faster than a mile in four minutes and 
be using ordinary care ; while over country roads, riding at 



PRACTICAL POINTS 207 

the rate of a mile in three minutes would be using ordinary 
care for the rights of others. 

" 7. Foot passengers. Persons on foot have a fight to use 
the carriage-way as well as the sidewalk, and walking in the 
carriage-way is not prima facie evidence of negligence. 
[42 Me. 332.] 

" Foot passengers crossing the street of a city have no 
prior right of way over a passing vehicle. Both are bound 
to use ordinary care to avoid collision. [54 N. Y. 245.] 

" 8. Unusual modes of locomotion. Persons using un- 
usual modes of locomotion, or transporting unusual objects 
over a highway are not therefore negligent. Those using 
horses cannot exclude those using bicycles or engines. 
Improved modes of locomotion are admissible. But drivers 
of unusual vehicles should assist teamsters, if necessary, in 
passing it. A right of action in such a case can only grow 
out of the question whether the new vehicle has been used 
negligently or not. [34 Mich. 212 ; 12 R. I. 166; 21 111. 522.] 

" 9. Private ways. The law of the road applies to private 
ways as well as to public ways. [8 Allen 242 ; 23 Pick. 24.] 

" 10. Impassable roads. Travelers may pass over an ad- 
joining close when the highway is obstructed or impassable. 
[53 Me. 160; 18 Tex. 858.] 

"11. May assume others will be careful. A person law- 
fully using a highway has a right to assume that a fellow- 
traveler will exercise ordinary care and prudence ; and this 
warrants him in pursuing his way in a convenient manner. 
[28 Mich. 32 ; 97 Pa. St. 70.] 

" 12. Injury from defective way. If by reason of the 
defective construction or want of repair of any highway, a 
person or his property becomes injured, while with ordinary 
care he was traveling thereon, he can recover damages for 
his bodily and mental suffering and for injury to his property. 
[48 Wis. 334 ; 49 Wis. 125.] " 



2o£ CYCLING. 

Road, Rules of the. — The legal side of this 
subject will be found under the head of ''Rights 
of Cyclists," immediately preceding. There are, 
however,somedetails which experience has molded 
into custom that ought not to be disregarded. 

It is extremely easy for wheelmen to forget 
the common rules of the road on meeting and 
passing vehicles, on account of the little space 
cycles require in order to pass other vehicles. But 
cyclists are not absolved from adhering to custom 
on this account. Moreover, the fact that cycles 
pass so silently and quickly is an additional rea- 
son for being punctilious in observing all road 
rules, and so passing vehicles on the side where 
drivers expect to see them. Every one knows 
that when two vehicles meet, each one should 
turn to the right. Nearly every one knows that 
when one vehicle overtakes another, the rear one 
should advance on the left side of the road and 
keep the front vehicle on its right side while pass- 
ing it. Of course, if the front vehicle should be 
so far to the left of the road that there was little 
room for passage on the left side, while there was 
ample space on the right, the driver of the rear 
vehicle should exercise his judgment on which 
side to pass, and would usually go where there 
was most room. 

When two cyclists are riding abreast and either 
meet or overtake a vehicle, the one nearest the 



Practical points. 209 

center of the road should fall back and allow the 
one on the outside to lead. This means that the 
outside rider (the one nearest the side on which 
passage is to be made) is always to lead on pass- 
ing vehicles — when a vehicle is met, the right- 
hand rider becomes the leader while passing it ; 
when a vehicle is overtaken, the left-hand rider 
becomes the leader while passing. On no account 
whatever should a party separate and pass on 
both sides of a vehicle. It is very bad form, 
foolish and dangerous, and very liable to startle 
even quiet horses. Nor, in passing, should a 
cycle be run any closer to a horse than is neces- 
sary. If the party is a large one, the pairs of 
riders should be careful not to crowd too closely, 
as sudden reduction of speed, meeting vehicles, 
or the presence of ruts, will often cause confu- 
sion and accident. 

Unfortunately, many cyclists are careless of 
observing these rules. They ought to be rigidly 
observed, both in justice to the users of all other 
vehicles, and because their strict observance tends 
as greatly to raise public opinion regarding cy- 
clists as a class as utter disregard of them tends 
to lower it. 

Road Books and Maps.— One of the benefits 
which wheelmen have conferred upon the com- 
munity has been the publication of many books 



2io CYCLING. 

and maps giving detailed, but condensed, account 
of the condition of thousands of miles of roads 
in different states, the exact distances between 
towns on these roads, and the best hotel in each 
town. These works were designed primarily as 
guides for wheelmen in their longer rides and 
tours ; but are also in demand for the use of driv- 
ing, equestrian, and pedestrian tourists. By 
their use a tourist can lay out a tour in nearly 
any one of the principal states, of any length 
he desires, and know in advance almost exactly 
what conditions and conveniences he can secure 
on the trip. 

Touring awheel is steadily increasing in favor, 
and the demand for these works is becoming 
correspondingly larger. They are issued by the 
state divisions of the League, and are usually 
supplied to the members of the issuing division 
at cost. To others a fair retail price is charged. 
In some cases, where a division has had a full 
treasury, the books have been supplied to mem- 
bers without cost, largely, however, with a view 
to increasing membership. Good state and 
county maps, which are occasionally of assist- 
ance in planning tours, can also frequently be 
obtained. Information as to special routes be- 
tween particular points can nearly always be 
obtained from some League member by means 
of a note of inquiry to the official organ. 



PRACTICAL POINTS. 211 

Rub Down.— See Bath. 

Saddles. — A perfectly easy and comfortable 
saddle is one of the most important fittings of a 
cycle, and one which now can be obtained in a 
high degree of perfection. It should be made of 
good leather, not too wide, bifurcated or open in 
the center, attached at the rear to good springs 
more or less coiled, and at the neck perhaps 
slightly adjustable for height; it must also be 
possible to easily take up the slack in the leather 
when it stretches, as it inevitably does. A saddle 
with a high peak should be avoided, as it is apt to 
be hurtful. If proper adjustment, removing all 
friction, cannot be secured, a different make 
ought to be immediately procured. This is abso- 
lutely essential. For ladies, even more care 
should be taken. Saddles for their use must not 
have the semblance of a peak, very little point, 
and they must be comparatively short, but broad 
at the rear — roughly speaking, something like an 
equilateral triangle. Many a woman has been 
deterred from riding, because, on her trial trips, 
the saddle proved to be unbearable. 

Safety Bicycle, History of the.— See Chapter 
on Evolution of the Bicycle. 

Shoes. — A good quality low shoe, either in 
canvas or Oxford tie, with rubber soles well sewed 
on, is perfectly satisfactory for cycling, and much 



212 CYCLING. 

better than a high shoe, as it allows the ankle full 
freedom of motion and so makes correct pedal- 
ing easier. Shoes made expressly for cycling 
can be obtained of nearly all large cycle dealers, 
and of most large shoe dealers. Tennis shoes 
will answer equally well, the chief difference being 
that they have no heels. Rubber soles give a 
somewhat better grip of the pedals than do leather 
ones ; though, with the square rubbers now gen- 
erally used, good ankle action, and a proper 
reach, there is little danger of slipping a pedal. 
Nevertheless, rubber soles are an advantage. For 
racing men, and the few others who use rat-trap 
pedals, shoes prepared as described near the end 
of the chapter on Correct Pedaling are desirable. 

Sociables. — These were tricycles built suf- 
ficiently wide to obtain room to carry saddles and 
gearing for two riders side by side between the 
driving wheels. They were very cumbersome 
machines, awkward to handle, and about as wide 
as a wagon. They were also heavy and slow. 
But in spite of these disadvantages they demon- 
strated the pleasantness of double machines, and 
made it easier and pleasanter for women to learn 
to ride. They were soon entirely superseded by 
the tandem tricycle. 

Spanners.— See Wrenches. 

Spokes. — The most common form of spoke is 



PRACTICAL POINTS. 213 

the " direct." It is a length of wire, headed at 
one end, and with a worm, or screw, at the other. 
The headed end holds firmly in a hole counter- 
sunk in the rim. The other end is somewhat en- 
larged, or " butt-ended," so that cutting the thread 
on it may not weaken it, and screws into the hub 
flange. Should one become loose it can easily be 
tightened by the use of a spoke wrench. Used 
generally with solid rims, there is a certain 
amount of elasticity to a wheel so built, which 
conduces to its wearing qualities. But direct 
spokes are not able to transmit the power abso- 
lutely direct to the rim, a wheel built with them 
not responding quite so quickly and completely 
as a tangent spoke wheel, and being generally 
somewhat heavier. 

The " laced " spokes sometimes used were 
formed with each length of wire making two 
spokes. A length of wire is headed at the rim, 
carried down through a hole in the thin steel 
flange of the hub, and then back to the rim, at a 
slight angle, and there headed and held by a 
small nipple. They are set at a partial tangent 
to the hub, and alternate at the rim, thus giving 
a more direct pull than do the " direct " spokes. 

The spokes sometimes called " double tangent " 
are similar to the " laced"; but are tied and 
soldered together where they cross one another, 
thus making a very stiff wheel, 



214 CYCLING. 

The " single tangent " spoke is sometimes 
called a cross between the direct and the laced. 
It is held with a nipple at the rim ; but is headed 
through a thin steel flange at the hub, and, being 
set at an angle, has a partially direct pull. It is 
very neat, and makes a strong, rigid wheel. Like 
the laced spoke, it is used with hollow rims. 

The " true tangent " spoke is a single spoke, 
fastened like the single tangent, but set at a true 
tangent to the peripheries of the hub flanges both 
forward and backward. They are set on both 
sides of the flanges, those on opposite sides de- 
parting in opposite directions. They cross each 
other five or six times in passing to the rim, and 
are securely tied and soldered at the points of 
intersection. Not only is a wheel so built per- 
fectly rigid, but the " true " tangency of the 
spoke transmits to the rims practically all the 
power applied. The wheel responds instantly to 
pressure, and is the best possible sprinter and hill 
climber. It is sometimes objected that its rig_ 
idity tends to shorten its life, and that it feels 
"hard" in riding as compared with a certain 
elasticity in a direct spoke wheel ; but, with care- 
ful use and generous tires these objections do not, 
in the opinion of those who have used both, begin 
to offset their advantages. 

The latest thing in spokes is the " triangulated." 
Each spoke " leaves the hub tangentially, but 



PRACTICAL POINTS. 215 

instead of continuing direct to the rim, takes a 
twist off another spoke and branches up to the 
rim in a different direction. Each side of the 
wheel thus consists of pairs of spokes, which are 
twisted at the outer circle of crossings. The in- 
ventor claims that the twisted joints always 
remain firm, and the joints require no soldering 
or tying with wire. Consequently, the wheel is 
easily adjusted or trued up without the necessity 
for breaking a joint. Any tension put upon one 
spoke has a like effect upon its companion ; thus 
two spokes mutually support each other, and the 
work is divided between them. The forward 
spokes pull on the rim and on their companions 
(the back spokes) simultaneously, and the whole 
wheel is kept taut. Thus the greater the pressure 
put upon the pedals, the tighter becomes the 
wheel. The patentee claims that by virtue of 
this division of work between pairs of spokes he 
makes a stronger wheel with a lesser degree of 
tension than usual. The wheel is quite as com- 
fortable as the direct spoke, and responds just 
like a laced wheel, only with a lot more life. 
The life of the wheel is, indeed, one of its salient 
features. It runs without the slightest suspicion 
of that deadness which is characteristic of very 
Strongly built-up tangent wheels." 

Tandems. — Tandem tricycles are built to carry 



2i6 CYCLING. 

two riders, not side by side as on the sociable, 
but by lengthening the frame of the machine so 
that one rider can sit before the other. By this 
means the normal width of the tricycle is pre- 
served ; the frame is made a trifle longer and 
stronger ; and a second saddle, with chain and 
pedals, is added. A double machine is thus 
secured, as ea^y to handle as a single, and only a 
trifle heavier. Experienced riders, accustomed 
to pedaling together, can propel one at a speed 
very nearly equal to that of the bicycle. One of 
the most remarkable of twenty-four hour records 
was accomplished on a tandem tricycle. Most 
tandem tricycles are made convertible — that is, 
one saddle, with its accompanying chain and 
pedals, can be readily removed so that the 
machine is adapted to the use of one person. 
On a tandem, one seat always is, and both may 
be, adapted to the use of a lady. 

The tandem safety bicycle is simply an elong- 
ated safety bicycle with saddle and gearing for a 
second rider, both riders being seated between 
the wheels. It is a very easy running machine 
with the greatest possibilities for enjoyment. 
The front seat is always arranged' for a lady's 
use. The steering is usually controlled from 
the rear seat by a connecting rod between the 
handles. This is probably the easiest and most 
effective form. It has been objected to as, 



PRACTICAL POINTS. 217 

dangerous in case of a fall, though it is by no 
means certain that a rider could not reach the 
ground on its side without touching it ; while it 
is quite difficult to get good leverage on the 
steering wheel by means of a connection beneath 
the riders' feet. A fairly good safety rider can 
take any one on the front seat almost as readily 
as on a tandem tricycle. Two good riders can 
get great speed out of it. It is supplanting the 
tandem tricycle almost as rapidly as that sup- 
planted the sociable, though the tandem tricycle 
has such sterling merit that it is not likely to 
entirely disappear. 

Tandem Attachment. — This arrangement 
consists of tubing carrying saddle, chain, and 
pedals for a second rider, with easy means of 
attachment to the rear of a tricycle, the object 
being to form a tandem at any time out of a sin- 
gle tricycle, and with only the additional expense 
of the attachment. A tandem formed in this 
way, however, cannot be as satisfactory as a 
machine originally designed and built for two 
riders. As a rule, convertible machines are less 
satisfactory in their converted form than machines 
built for but a single purpose. < 

Testimonials. — A veteran in cycling has said 
that a man cannot understand the character of a 
wheel until he has ridden it five hundred miles, 



218 CYCLING. 

nor be in a position to give a thoroughly intelli- 
gent and comprehensive opinion on it, until it 
has carried him for a thousand miles, and over all 
sorts of roads. 

This is an extreme view to take ; but it is per- 
haps only the natural reaction from the many 
hastily formed and superficial opinions, and falla- 
cious claims, which are offered as proof positive 
of superior merit. 

Testimony to merit is always desirable and 
welcome, and concensus of opinion is certainly 
valuable in establishing a point ; but, with cycles, 
experience is of great importance, and the more a 
man has ridden his wheel, the more intimately and 
certainly may he be supposed to know its virtues. 

Thirst.— See Drink while Riding. 

Tires.— These rubber bands which encircle the 
steel rim, or felloe, of the wheel have more to do 
with comfort in riding than most riders realize. 
When of generous size, and well put on, they aid 
materially in reducing vibration. The tendency 
to reduce their size, in order to save weight, is a 
great mistake in any machine designed for road 
use. The saving in weight does not compensate 
for the disadvantages of increased vibration and 
quicker wear. For a driving-wheel, seven-eighths 
of an inch diameter is about small enough for 
anything but racing purposes t 



PRACTICAL POINTS. 219 

As to color, about which much has been said, 
there is little choice between the red and black, 
other things being equal. The writer has in his 
possession machines having tires of each color, 
which have seen hundreds of miles of wear, and 
are only scratched. They came from different, 
but two of the best, makers. Again, other tires 
of both colors have cut to pieces with very little 
use. More evidently depends upon the quality 
of the rubber, and its treatment, than on mere 
coloring. 

Tires are usually fastened by cementing and 
this, when well done, is satisfactory. Some at- 
tention is needed however, so that when they 
show signs of loosening, as they must sooner or 
later, they can be fastened. In order to meet a 
possible emergency, some twine or tire tape 
ought always to be carried in the tool bag. 
Should a tire become loose, it ought to receive 
immediate attention, being securely tied until 
home is reached, when it can be cemented readily 
by using a small lamp and cement, both of which 
are made for this purpose and can be had of cycle 
dealers. 

Another method of fixing tires is known as 
" compressing " them, the exact means employed 
being known only to its proprietors. It results 
in fastening the tire with remarkable firmness, 
while confining somewhat less of the rubber 



220 CYCLING. 

within the rim than does most cementing, and so 
makes the tire more effective in absorbing vibra- 
tion. Still another method is to run a wire 
through the center of the tire throughout its 
length, and, by joining its ends, keep the tire 
firmly in place. 

Various attempts have been made to absorb 
vibration by means of cushioned tires, the most 
remarkable one being called the " pneumatic." 
It is described as " a circular rubber tube, two 
and a half inches in diameter, joined to form the 
tire of an ordinary cycle wheel. At one place a 
hole is provided through both rim and rubber, to 
which a tiny valve is attached. By means of a 
three-ounce brass syringe air can be pumped in 
through this valve, until the rubber tube is fully 
distended. We then have a two and a half inch 
tire with much greater elasticity and far less 
weight than the same diameter of the softest solid 
rubber." 

This tire has proved very effective for racing 
on the grass tracks somewhat used in England, 
and on rough roads it absolutely absorbs all vi- 
bration ; but, when the surface is wet and slip- 
pery, it does not appear to be able to bite, and so 
slides and slips in a manner wholly foreign to 
ordinary tires. It is also liable to be cut by sharp 
stones or bits of glass, and so become useless 
until repaired. Of course it requires a very wide 



PRACTICAL POINTS. 221 

run, and so changes materially the appearance of 

the machine to which it is fitted. 

. ■* 
Toe Clips. — These ingenious little devices are 

made of light metal to attach to the pedals, the 
upper part curving slightly over the toe, by 
which means they hold the foot in position, pre- 
vent slipping, and, to a certain extent, increase 
the rider's ability to claw the pedal around as is 
requisite in good ankle action. As a mechanical 
aid they certainly have value, though the rider 
who has a correct reach and acquires a good 
ankle action has no need of them. 

Tool Bags. — Every cycler requires a small 
tool bag to contain oil-can, wrench, some cloth, 
and a little twine, which should be snugly packed 
to prevent rattle. These articles are really the 
only essentials, though some riders carry such 
things as a screw driver, extra nuts, and lock and 
chain, while others carry nothing. Good bags 
are furnished with most machines. It is desir- 
able to have one as small as will hold the neces- 
sary articles comfortably, without rattle, and to 
see that it is strapped firmly to the machine. 

Touring.— See Chapter on Riding and Tour- 
ing. 

Training. — See Chapter on Training. 

Triplet. — This is a four-wheeled cycle, with 



22 2 CYCLING. 

three seats in a row, tandem fashion, the middle 
rider steering, and the first and third seats suit- 
able for ladies' use. It is a fast, easy-running 
machine. 

Two-speed Gears.— The questions of the 
relation of speed to gearing, and the effect of 
different gears, are explained in the chapter on 
Speed and Gearing. To overcome the objection 
of being restricted to a gear which may be com- 
fortable on level roads but hard on hilly ones, 
the two-speed gear has been invented. By its 
use, when added to a tricycle, two gears are at 
command suited to different conditions of travel. 
By means of a small lever the change can be 
instantly effected. The extra weight of this 
gearing is a few pounds. 

Use and Abuse of Cycles.— If manufacturers 
of cycles could be assured that their productions 
would always receive good care, and be put to 
their legitimate uses only, they would be more 
ready to build their standard patterns of lighter 
weight ; but knowing, as they do, the amount of 
misuse, abuse, and unnecessarily hard treatment 
to which cycles, and especially safeties, are sub- 
jected, they are obliged to prepare for it. But 
even the best preparation in the way of proper 
metal, good design, skilled workmanship, and 
sufficient material, will not prevent mishaps while 



PRACTICAL POINTS. $2% 

owners of wheels slam them around ; run up or 
clown high curbs; leave them with dirt and grit 
covering bearings and chains ; and with head, 
bearings, and chain, unadjusted. It is hardly too 
much to say that the durability of a machine 
depends almost as much upon its being properly 
ridden, and suitably cared for, as on its intrinsic 
character. 

Cyclists vary in their notions of the legitimate 
use of a wheel, from the extremely cautious, to 
the most reckless. But even those who are care- 
ful enough in the matter of actual road use, are 
sometimes subject to misfortunes; because they 
fail to give their wheel the little attention which 
is absolutely essential if they wish to keep it in 
safe, not to say first class, running order. On the 
ordinary, most riders are tolerably cautious, but 
the contraryjs common on the safety. Immunity 
from headers, and proximity to the road, encour- 
age many to treat curbs with a disdain by no 
means beneficial to the wheel. The safety, at 
best, is more complicated, subject to greater 
wear, and harder to keep clean, than the ordinary. 
If riders expect as satisfactory and permanent 
good results from it, they must ride it with equal 
judgment and give it better care. 

Vibration. — A rigid wheel revolving upon the 
road produces a certain amount of vibration ; 



224 CYCLING. 

but the large size of the driving-wheel of the 
ordinary bicycle, the use of generous tires, and a 
good saddle, combine to reduce it to a point where 
it is not disagreeable, and, in fact, hardly notice- 
able on that type of wheel. With the safety, vi- 
bration is greater, as the small wheels feel the 
concussions produced by inequalities in the road 
to a greater degree, especially if built with small 
tires. To delicate persons, or those unaccus- 
tomed to exercise, it may seem considerable at 
the outset, and to others it may be disagreeable. 

Vibration reaches the rider, through his three 
points of contact with the machine — pedals, sad- 
dle, and handles. The question of the pedals 
can be dismissed, as no appreciable inconvenience 
is felt from that quarter. At the saddle it is dif- 
ferent, and discomfort will be felt there if suffi- 
cient means to remedy it are not taken. These 
should be : A short enough reach to enable the 
rider to stand well on the pedals, and never to 
pass over a bad spot or obstruction without rid- 
ing well on them ; good tires of generous diame- 
ter ; and a thoroughly comfortable saddle with 
good springs. For many persons, these precau- 
tions are sufficient ; but those who desire any- 
thing more can procure excellent machines hav- 
ing specially designed spring frames. 

The vibration from the handles cannot be 
wholly intercepted without using a spring some- 



PRACTICAL POINTS. 225 

where between handles and front axle. Those 
who are sensitive to it find it disagreeable, and 
uncomfortable for the arms on long rides. Such 
persons can secure excellent machines, with 
springs in the front forks, or with full spring 
forks ; and those who do not feel any particular 
vibration, or are not inconvenienced by it, can 
secure rigid frames. Individual taste can thus 
be perfectly suited in every particular. 

Watches. — It is sometimes said that a good 
watch is injured by being carried constantly on 
the wheel ; and some riders, believing this, leave 
theirs at home, or carry a cheap one. The writer 
has never found any bad effects, however. 

Waterproofs.— It is exceedingly debilitating 
to ride in a rubber coat, as the full action of the 
skin is thereby seriously impeded, and the clothes 
become saturated with perspiration. If properly 
dressed in all wool, a wetting seldom does harm. 
If a waterproof is carried on a tour, and rain 
falls, it is more prudent to stop, don it, and wait 
till the shower has passed. 

Weight of Cycles. — A prevalent notion regard- 
ing the weight of cycles seems to be that the 
lighter a machine is, the easier it must run. While 
for race tracks this is practically true, such con- 
ditions as are met with in average road riding 



226 CYCLING. 

alter the case considerably. "Lightness is cer- 
tainly a most desirable and important quality to 
secure in a cycle ; but, the moment it is obtained 
at the expense of rigidity, or at the expense of 
generous tires, it does not make the machine any 
better as a whole. Lack of rigidity means waste 
of power, and small tires means more cutting into 
the surface of the road ; and both these are detri- 
mental to ease of running, especially at any dis- 
tance. Should lightness be further obtained at 
the expense of a well-stayed frame, or use of in- 
sufficient metal, durability is largely sacrificed. It 
does not follow from this that a machine need be 
very heavy ; for a properly proportioned one of 
medium weight and first-class quality is just 
as strong ; but it does follow that very light 
machines are not suitable for road work, and are 
not as durable as those of medium weight. 

Whistles.— See Bells and Whistles. 

Women, Cycling for.— See Lady Cyclists, 
and Chapter on Cycling for Health. 

Wrenches. — Always carry a small monkey 
wrench of good quality. Do not depend on 
spanners. 



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As an advertising medium for goods of all kinds, the Bicycling 
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As a special iaterest always attaches to the oldest and largest in whatever 
capacity, so a rather unique regard may now be felt toward the Pope Manu- 
facturing Company in connection with bicycling. It is the oldest manufacturer 
and the oldest importer now doing business in the United States, but beyond 
the respect due to age it deserves some for accomplishments. Beginning as an 
importer in 1877, and then as a manufacturer in 1878, it at first made English 
machines more available to American riders, and then made American machines 
equally good as the best English roadster of the time at a considerably less 
price. Then, and what is particularly to its credit now, it established the sys- 
tem of doing the bicycle business which has prevailed more or less exactly with 
all subsequent makers and dealers, but which during the first five or eight 
years of the business was of more consequence than it is now, namely the sys- 
tem of establishing agencies in all the principal cities and towns and but one 
in a place as centres of bicycling supply, information, protection and influence. 

This method in the early time secured two things, — first, the steady and 
general simultaneous spread of bicycling in different sections, and second, a 
general and co-operative assistance in creating and maintaining a public senti- 
ment in favor of bicycling and a united protection against local efforts to sup- 
press it. To these two important things might be added a third, namely the 
securing of a uniform price for bicycles and for sundries throughout the coun- 
try, a uniformity carrying with it, of course, a fairness to the purchaser which 
is so seldom secured in other things. Pianos, for instance, that may be bought 
f° r $375 to $425 in Massachusetts, may bear a price of $700 to $800 in the West. 

Of course the Pope Manufacturing Company has been in the business to 
make money, and it has made money. The recent purchase of the other two- 
thirds of its large plant in Hartford shows this, but it has been well for bicy- 
cling that it did make money. If it too had failed or gone out of the business 
as every other concern did during the first four or five years, would there have 
been any bicycling industry to-day ? In fact, its good credit and good success 
made it possible for others to obtain credit and gave a public confidence in the 
industry as well as the art, which has been valuable in return to all wheel in- 
terests. 

The management of its patents, not without some scolding on the part of a 
few during the earlier years, was beneficent to the cause inasmuch as it brought 
all the patents together under one practicably reasonable royalty, and, by limit- 
ing the number of those in the business, enabled those who were in to have a 
better opportunity to establish themselves. The history of manufactures in 
this country may probably be searched in vain for an instance where the con- 
trol of patents relating to a line of business has been less like a monopoly, or 
more in the general interests of the users, than was that of the Pope Manufactur- 
ing Company when it held the sway. That control, however, has been relin- 
quished little by little, until now it is scarcely felt at all and is not even asserted 
by the Company. 

Not only has this Company first imported machines, and then imported 
literature, and then built up a manufacture, and then established a universal 
business throughout the country, giving the method and style which has en- 
dured as the best, but it will be remembered that, while its officers and mana- 
gers have refused to hold office, it has favored to the extent of work and money 
and influence, as nobody else could, both the League of American Wheelmen 
and local clubs. Not only has it produced a line of something like twenty-five 
successively different machines, but it has brought the manufacture to a cer- 
tain conservative perfection that is not merely noticeable, it is valuable. It 
made the first successful single row ball bearings, for instance, and they are the 
prevailing type now. It has always been too conservative to rush after novel- 
ties, but it has been swift to adopt changes proved to be improvements, and, 
while the public knows how much it has out of novelties, it does not know 
how many new things it has tried and experimented with and discarded with- 
out putting them upon the market. Many a new thing offered or even boomed 
on the market is quietly smiled at by this venteran company, whose wisdom has 
been acquired by experience long before, 




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